Search Engine OptimizationBy Andy Smith | Art Institute of Dallas

Internet Marketing and SEOWhat is SEO?Brief history of the Search EnginesHow Google changed everythingHow sites are rankedSite optimization (technical)Search Engine Ranking Success

Internet MarketingEmail marketing (autoresponders, newsletters)Affiliate marketing (ecommerce commissions)Online Viral marketing (social and brand awareness)Pay per click advertising (AdWords, Overture)Paid inclusion (Directory listings)Search engine optimization (SEO)

Search Engine Optimization

A technical discipline involved with organic search rankings

Search Engine Optimization

Involves a variety of components:HTML codingContent and informationMedia (photos, videos)Region and local specific listings

The purpose is to increase a site’s web presence in the search engines, thus receiving more traffic

Search Engine Optimization

Use to be a separate disciplineBecoming more integrated with web devRequires technical insightBecoming more integrated with:

Content developmentTraditional online business and marketingOther forms of marketingEcommerce

History of SEO and The Engines

Search Engines catalogue and organize the web, making it easier for web users to find sitesEngines “crawl” or index websites to identify an identity or a theme of a siteBefore Google, engines had simple algorithms for accessing site relevancyMeta tags, keywords in URLs, body copyUnfortunately, it allowed people to spam the engines

Then Came GoogleGoogle revolutionized the search engine industryMathematical algorithm to assess the relevance of a website (the core to Google’s database ranking structure called PageRank)This “PageRank” methodology changed the strategies webmasters and developers used to optimize sites, thus SEO was bornSoon other leading search companies created their own algorithms

How Engines Assess Rankings

Consistent content or words throughout the page“Keywords” located in the copy and in the tags:

Title tagHeader tagsBody copy (paragraph tags), listsAlt tagsLinks (inbound and out)

Sites with high keyword relevance are ranked in the top

Proving Relevance to the Engines

Establish a site or page theme (using keywords and copy)Use coding to express your design, layout, copy, and user functionalityReceive theme validation from other websites with a similar topicUpdate and enhance the site

SEOThe Code

Site OptimizationClean HTML code (valid XHTML, CSS)

HTML and CSSWeb coding expresses info to a browserHTML and CSS = Grammar and SpellingCertain structures and wide spread formats need to be followed to ensure effective communicationCode only serves as one variable however

Importance of ContentThe code containing the content is essentialHeaders, paragraphs, lists, etc. (H1, P, UL)“Optimized” code and relevant content = search engine ranking successOnly one component to the entire puzzle as well

LinkingInbound links from other websites is pivotalThe more “relevant” links, the more relevancy points the engines will award your siteProper anchor tags:

<a href=“myurl.com”>Keyword Phrases</a>

PageRank AnalysisGoogle’s link analysis algorithm is called PageRankMeasures the relevancy of a web siteLinks pointing to a website are considered a “vote”The more votes a website has the more probability it has as being relevant, especially if all the links are from similar themes or topics/categories

SEORanking Success

Getting Top RankingsAnalyze the competition (current ranking sites)

Number of pages indexed in GoogleNumber of links pointing to the siteCategories and sections of content

Supersede the competitors!Make your site more relevant and prove it to the enginesProvide more contentGet more links

Misconceptions about RankingsThe important things you need to achieve top rankings are optimized content and relevant inbound links (not submission strategies or quick “jump-to-the-top” methods) You don’t need to submit your site to the search engines if you are already included Fancy SEO techniques and tricks might gain you temporary ranking positions but can ban your site from the search engine databases in the long run

Misconceptions about RankingsSuccessful search engine marketing comes down to relevancy – prove to the search engine your site is more relevant than the current ranking websites and you will achieve long term successIf you have a new website, expect that your website will be listed for top positions within six to eight months in Google

Tips for Designing an Optimized Site

How you represent your site (design, functionality, etc.) to the user is crucial, but it is just as important to present your site’s coding and page layout to the search engines. Make sure you understand the importance of correct coding!It is imperative that effective HTML, CSS, Javascript, ASP, coding is used to construct the pages

Tips for Designing an Optimized Site

All coding should be validated Content is king in the search engines, ensure you understand the importance of designing for content (tailored for the search engine) Functionality is important, but when it inhibits your ability to rank in the search engines, consider achieving a balance of functionality and effective search engine optimization

Q and A!Andy Smith <asmith@picklenetwork.com>http://aid.aiistudentwork.com/AS/seo_asmith.pdf