Search Engine Optimization (2009)

Search Engine Optimization Proven methods of increasing website traffic

your instructor: matthew [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

SearchEngineOptimization

Getting started today

Quick introductionsQuick introductions

» Customizing this courseCustomizing this course

AdministriviaAdministrivia

How to have a great classHow to have a great class

Menu of possible topicsMenu of possible topics


Quick introductions» customizing this course

Who are you and what do you do?Who are you and what do you do?

What is your experience with …What is your experience with …

» MS Windows, the Internet, and the WebMS Windows, the Internet, and the Web

» Search Engines and SEOSearch Engines and SEO

» Website development and HTMLWebsite development and HTML

What do you hope to accomplishWhat do you hope to accomplishby learning more about SEO?by learning more about SEO?

What is something interesting about you?What is something interesting about you?


» matthew wyllyamzSoftware instructor since 1993, with an emphasis on multimedia,

graphic design, and Internet development.

Have created courses for Jefferson County Adult Ed,Colorado Christian University, Productivity Point,Colorado Free University, and the Department of Defense.

Taught Apple Macintosh classes exclusively for five years,and have been active on the Internet since 1994.

Corporate graphic designer / webmaster for two years ('97-'99).Took that site from 10,000 visits/month to 70,000 visits/month.

Blogmaster for seven years. ('99-'05)Developed an audience of 800,000.

TODAY: Independent contractor: technical and creative instructor and consultant, artist, amateur photographer, and author.BA in English writing, and have sold three books.

» http://www.mouselink.biz

http://www.mouselink.biz/


Administrivia

Workshop scheduleWorkshop schedule

» Two daysTwo days

» 12:00pm – 4:00pm12:00pm – 4:00pm

» Two sessions per day Two sessions per day

» Short break (20 mins)Short break (20 mins)around 2pmaround 2pm

Facilities …Facilities …

» Bathrooms, vending, Starbucks …Bathrooms, vending, Starbucks …


Please set cell phones to silent or turn off.Please set cell phones to silent or turn off.

Understand Understand concentrated computer training:concentrated computer training:

» Class is part discussion, part lecture, part hands-on.

» PARTICIPATE! Ask questions. Answer questions. Take notes.

» Watch the screen, then try it yourself.

» This is a cooperative learning environment:

We are here to learn from each other.

Keep in mind that this class was designed for aKeep in mind that this class was designed for aspecific level of student:specific level of student:

How to have a great class


Keep in mind that this course was designed for a Keep in mind that this course was designed for a specific level of student:specific level of student:

Created for

» a semi-experienced computer user with a comfortable working knowledge of Windows and the Web

» The beginning SEO who knows little or nothing about search engine optimization

NOT created for

» the beginning computer user

» the more intermediate or advanced SEO

most importantly …most importantly …



Make it fun! Make it fun!

most importantly …most importantly …



Menu of possible topics

DAY TWOUsing your keyword list,and getting traffic

Understanding Page Rank

HTML concerns

The importance of links

So, how do you get links?

Third-party gimmicks

Pay–per-click and other fee methods

Methods to Avoid

Do you needa “robots.txt” file?

Conclusions…

… and a word about your CD

DAY ONEUnderstanding SEs, and creating a keyword list

What is a Search Engine and how does it work?

Survey of the Search Engine landscape

What is Search Engine Optimization?

Defining your Niche(s)

Tips for creatinga keyword list

Choosing domain names

Moving on …Moving on …

DAY1


Be careful what you wish for.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/2995343.stm


How do *you* find whatyou’re searching for on the Web?

What is a Search Engineand how does it work?

Spiders or Web-Crawler bots

Search sites vs. Human directories

What is a meta search engine?

Survey of the Search Engine landscapeWhich search sites really matter?*

Google 66%

Yahoo 21%

MSN 07%

ask.com 04%

AOL

search.com

altavista

netscape

go.com

lycos.com more? …

* Market share data Fall 2007 by seoconsultants.com

http://www.ihelpyou.com/search-engine-chart.html

http://www.kottke.org/02/06/top-ten-search-engines

http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2005/02/14/what-are-the-top-search-engines


What is Search Engine Optimization?

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a website from search engine results for targeted keywords. Usually, the earlier a site is presented in the search results or the higher it "ranks," the more searchers will visit that site.

SEO is often thought of as “the most cost-effective” method of bringing additional visitors to your web.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engine_optimization

Defining your Niche(s)

Define who are you and what you do.

How do you create a proper list of keywords?» Brainstorming

» HOT vs. competitive keywords

» Generators

» Researching your peers

» Be broad … and then narrow

» Be open to change, and expect the unexpected

Optimizing your keyword density in …» Page content

» Code


Tips for creating a keyword list

Ideally you should not even begin designing or creating a site until you have done your keyword research.

If your site already exists, the first step should be to take a look at which keywords people are already using to find your pages.

Ask everyone you know what keywords they think they would type into a search engine to find your type of site.

Remember to be geographically specific.

Use misspellings and multiple versions of the same words or phrases.*

Prefer to use phrases as opposed to single keywords.

Beware of using others’ trade-marked company or product names, particularly if it is misleading in any way.

Utilize industry-specific jargon for savvy searchers.

Understand the searching process: researching, shopping, and buying.


Choosing domain names

Look at what’s already out there.

Use your most critical keywords in your domain names.*

Don’t rule out the use of hyphens to separate words.

Understand the difference betweenhuman-friendly vs. SE-friendly

Check the registry for the domains that interest you.

Register as many names as you can afford.

*Studies show that internet searchers are more likely to click on results when the search term appears in the domain name.

Moving on …Moving on …

DAY2

Understanding Page Rank

Does your rank matter?

What about your peers?

What factors provide your rank?

How can you see rankings?

The first page and the “Fold”

Utilizing the Google toolbar

HTML concernsUnderstanding the basic structure of website code

Title» Writing descriptive titles

Description» Selling the search engine browser

Meta tag keywordshttp://www.searchengineyearbook.com/meta-tags.shtml

Using <head>, <strong>, and <em> tags

Alt image tags

» Also beware of using imagesin lieu of real text characters

File names and directory structure

Links …

… within and to your sitemust be worded properly

The actual content of the pages!

The importance of inbound links

The #1 thing search engines look at?

Each link to your site is a vote of confidence in your content.

Links make it easier for the SE spiders to find your pages.

Every link is a doorway to your web that may bring visitors.

However, link QUALITY is key:

» The page rank of the pages linking to yours

» The “relevance” of those pages

» The “anchor text” of incoming links

So, how do you get links?

PRIMARY METHODS

Search engines

Directories and Listings

“Links pages” and …

Reciprocal links from peers

Web rings and Link farms


Third-party (and other) gimmicks

Twitter, FaceBook, MySpace

YouTube

about.com

Second Life

Wikipedia

Blogs or Message boards

Web articles

Digg (et al)

Podcasting and RSS

Create a web-based service as asite “back door”

Avoid spamming

Pay-per-clickand other fee methods

Methods to AvoidHow to get your site penalized or banned

Black Hat SEORemember that SEs have it in their best interest that your pages are accurately indexed.

Keyword stuffing (spamdexing)

Invisible text

Redirects and Cloaking

http://websitehelpers.com/seo/blackhat.html

Do you need a “robots.txt” file?

This file,created by the webmaster, and placed in the root level of the website,may direct cooperating SEsto NOT index certain pagesin your web.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robots.txt

http://www.dwfaq.com/tutorials/Miscellaneous/robot_txt.asp


Conclusions …You cannot learn the violin in a day or two.

Search engine optimization is a skill – like any other – that requires gradual & continual practice & improvement.

Consider SEO to be an ongoing process. Monitor your results regularly. Work on it regularly.

Stay upbeat!… but if you get frustrated, remember:

You can always turn off the machine and walk away. :)

Good luck. Best wishes.And get in touch if you need more help!

[email protected]

Search Engine Optimization (2009)

Technology

Transcript of Search Engine Optimization (2009)