Search Engine Optimization Guide - ToTheWeb · SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION TECHNIQUES Search Engine...
Transcript of Search Engine Optimization Guide - ToTheWeb · SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION TECHNIQUES Search Engine...
Search Engine Optimization Guide
A Guide to Improving Website
Rankings in the Search Engines
Prepared by:
Rosemary Brisco ToTheWeb LLC
Sep 2007
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Table of Contents
WHY WORRY ABOUT SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING?...............................................................................3
Success l ies in having your website found . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
HOW SEARCH ENGINES RANK WEB PAGES ...............................................................................................3
How does a search engine f ind your website? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
KEY STEPS OF A SUCCESSFUL SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING PROGRAM ...........................................5
CREATING SEARCH ENGINE FRIENDLY CONTENT.....................................................................................6
- I t ’s In The Text. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
LINK POPULARITY...........................................................................................................................................6
- I t ’s Not Al l In The Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
THE TRUE ROI OF SITE OPTIMIZATION.........................................................................................................7
SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION TECHNIQUES ..........................................................................................8
KEYWORD RESEARCH AND ANAYLSIS......................................................................................................11
PAY-PER-CLICK .............................................................................................................................................12
Sample placements in top engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
TRACKING AND ANALYSIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
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WHY WORRY ABOUT SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING?
It represents an opportunity to increase
lead generation by 25%-50% in 6 months.
Any leading company that does not hold top search
positions has overlooked a key component of its
website’s success. A company that wants to generate
revenue from online leads needs to have their site "rank
high” in the search engines: that is, when keywords
relating to a business are typed in, that company wants
their site to be listed at the top of the search results.
With careful page design and coding, keyword research
and enrollment in pay-per-click (PPC) services, higher
search engine rankings and more qualified sales leads are
virtually guaranteed!
SUCCESS LIES IN HAVING YOUR WEBSITE FOUND
There are hundreds of search engines and directories. These three are responsible for
more than 79% of all web searches.
Google 51% Yahoo 24% MSN 8%
A prospect goes online
searching for your
product. There are two
possible scenarios –
they either find you – or
they don’t.
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HOW SEARCH ENGINES RANK WEB PAGES
Search engines use proprietary and closely guarded algorithms to create their indexes in an attempt to produce good quality results for their users. Each search engine uses a different algorithm, which can change at any time. This is one reason why the same search on different engines produces quite different results.
When you enter a word or phrase into a search engine, what you get back is a list of
pages that may contain some or all of those words. Search engines give a higher
ranking to pages that contain all the words searched for or that mention the words
more than once. Pages that receive links from other websites that contain the same
words are also ranked higher than those who lack links (this is called Link Popularity).
This does not mean that the more times the words are present on the page the
higher it will rank. Search engines are smarter than that, as they refine their software
to reject pages that simply repeat words excessively.
HOW DOES A SEARCH ENGINE FIND YOUR WEBSITE?
Search engine software “robots” find your site by following links from one site to
another. Once the robot arrives at your site, it follows the links on each page until it
indexes as many pages as it can find. Every time it visits a page it loads the page’s
HTML content (both visible and non-visible “meta” text) into the search engine’s
database. It also analyzes the site content in an attempt to determine your site’s
theme or principal subject(s).
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KEY STEPS OF A SUCCESSFUL SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING PROGRAM
Program components include:
Website Optimization – Starting with solid keyword research to determine what
words prospective customers use to search the web for your products and
services, then using those words on your web pages following specific
techniques.
Link Popularity – Ensuring that other sites link to your site, and that the links
include search terms that are used on your site.
Paid Advertising (Pay-Per-Click) – Establishing a monthly budget to pay for ad
placement in the search engines.
Tracking and Analysis – Measuring the effectiveness of the above tasks on an
ongoing basis. You can’t manage what you don’t measure!
3 EASY STEPS
Drive prospects to your site.
Keep them there.
Generate sales leads.
1 2 3
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CREATING SEARCH ENGINE FRIENDLY CONTENT
- IT’S IN THE TEXT
The most effective way to boost your site’s ranking in the organic or natural listings is
to determine the search phrases most likely to be used by prospective customers
and then write your site content around those words. The more “information rich”
your site is for those words, the higher it will rank in the search engines.
In addition to reading the visible text on a web page, search engines use text from
the Title tag to help them determine how to rank your site. Many engines use text
from the Meta Description tag in their search results listings. These non-visible tags
provide a useful way to control your website summary text in search results and they
are what people look at to decide whether to click on a search result.
Ensure that every page of your website contains search
terms in the Title and Meta tags.
LINK POPULARITY
- IT’S NOT ALL IN THE TEXT
All major search engines now consider the factor of “link popularity” when ranking
your site. Every link from one website to another is treated as a “vote”, though
search engines weight some sites as having more influence than others. Link
popularity is a critical criteria for Google followed by “link relevance” – the analysis
of the content of the links to your site. Companies need to do the best possible job
of writing their content, using search terms and creating pages that others will want
to link to. This is an essential element in achieving high rankings.
Guidelines
TITLE 6-9 words or 60-82 characters META Description 20-25 words or 200 characters
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THE TRUE ROI OF SITE OPTIMIZATION
Increased competition in the Pay-Per-Click (PPC) market has resulted in
online marketers refocusing their efforts to secure higher rankings in the
natural listings. You can expect significant costs-savings compared to
paid advertising when your site is included in the natural or “organic”
results. Studies show that search engine users are far more likely to click
on sites listed in the natural results area of a search results page than on the paid
ads displayed at the top or in the right column.
The following Search Engine Results Page (SERP) illustrates Click-Through-Rates
(CTR) in the various areas of a SERP page.
ROI It’s all about
RESULTS
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SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION TECHNIQUES
Search Engine Optimization (SEO or site optimization) means
creating a website with the goal of increasing traffic through
the natural or organic listings in the search engines.
Search engines consider over 100 factors when ranking a site.
Each engine weights these factors differently, and the
weightings change over time as the engines refine their
algorithms and attempt to discourage scams and deception.
TOP TIPS
Search engines love content-rich websites just like your human visitors do.
Use keywords naturally in your content, and use variations and modifiers.
Select two or three highly targeted phrases for each page of your site.
Don’t use very broad or general keywords – there is too much competition.
Use keywords in internal links between pages in your site.
Every webpage should contain navigation links to all main pages.
Keyword Content Design Considerations
Technology Factors
•Title Tag text •Large H1-H2 headings •1st sentence of 1st paragraph •Beginning of a sentence •Bold or italic text •Keyword frequency / density •Proximity (multi-keywords) •Bulleted lists •Meta description •Total word count
•Path or filename •Domain name •Web Site Architecture •Clean Code
•Answer: Who, What, How? •Include a Call to Action •Don’t rely on navigation •No Splash Page •All Flash sites
The search
engines consider
over 100 factors in
its ranking
algorithms.
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CONTENT Depending on the size of your site, identify 50 to 100 relevant search terms and
weave them throughout the site copy. On your homepage, focus on the critical keywords that reflect the theme of your site. Optimize other pages with up to three search terms each.
Search engines look at words on the page and rank those terms contained in <H1> or <H2> tags higher than other text.
Important content should be kept high in the site directory structure, as many engines don’t index beyond three levels.
Include your search terms at the beginning of sentences and in the top paragraph for maximum impact. Do not repeat search terms excessively, but use them in a natural manner in the site content.
HYPERLINKS
Be sure that keywords are used in the text links to other pages within your site. Some search engines place greater emphasis on link text than on regular body text, so link text should include important keywords.
Don’t do this: Lose weight fast with our Minute method. Click here. Do this:
Lose weight fast with our Minute method. CUSTOM 404 ERROR PAGE
Include your site map in your current error-trapping page to easily provide access to the rest of the site.
Great example at Apple.com, to view,
www.apple.com/123.html
SITE STRUCTURE
Locate your site map in the main level on your server and make it available as a link from the homepage.
Include links to all important pages that you want the search engines to index in the site map.
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ALT TAGS
Some search engines include in their indexes the text content of ALT attribute
tags (text associated with an image) and place greater emphasis on ALT tag
text for images that are links. Use search terms in ALT tag text that are found on
the page that the image links to. Be sure to use proper ALT tag text for any
graphics that provide navigational links. For example, the alt text for a graphic
that says “About Us” should only include the text “About Us”. The alt text for the
company logo graphic could include a short company positioning statement as
well as the company name. Don’t repetitively use keywords in ALT tags!
SITE READINESS
HOW HEALTHY IS YOUR SITE?
What measurable goals do you have for your site and
are you achieving them?
If your company doesn’t make its numbers by the end
of the year – what will be the reason?
Do you have a clear “Call to Action” on your
homepage?
Does your website make it very easy to interact with
your company? Is the phone number no more than one click away?
There are multiple ways to evaluate effectiveness
- Ask your sales staff: Are they satisfied with its lead generation capabilities?
- How many leads have you received? How many have you closed?
IMPORTANT: Be careful not to “stuff” your pages with the same words over and over again. Too much repetition, in ways that do not read naturally to your site visitors, can cause a page, or an entire site, to be banned from the search engines.
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KEYWORD RESEARCH AND ANAYLSIS
Receiving top positions for the wrong keywords doesn’t produce sales!
Properly identifying your top keywords can make the
difference between getting a big increase in traffic referrals
or just a trickle. The phrases you think might be perfect for
your site may not be what people are actually searching for.
Think like your customers and select keywords they might
use. Then refine your list to the top 50 - 100 phrases. Don’t
forget modifiers.
Select two or three highly targeted phrases for each page of your site. Don’t use
general or overly broad keywords that many competing sites might use.
What results are realistic to expect? Achieving a ranking in the top 30 for three-word search
phrases is realistic. Achieving a high ranking for highly
competitive one or two-word phrases such as “web security”
can be difficult.
SEARCH TERM RESEARCH TOOLS
Google’s keyword suggestion tool is free, but it only shows relative search volume on Google
and search volume trends:
https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal?defaultView=3
Wordtracker is a popular keyword research tool, and the data is invaluable. It’s a paid
service, but you can try it here:
http://wordtracker.com/free-trial.html
KeywordDiscovery is an excellent paid service, you can try it here:
http://keyworddiscovery.com/register.html
Using the right
keywords is the Holy
Grail of successful
optimization. Many
companies target
the wrong ones.
Marketing jargon
and buzz words
don’t work!
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PAY-PER-CLICK
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) is advertising on search engines with the goal of increasing self-
qualified traffic. Most search engines offer PPC, including Google, Overture,
Looksmart, and Find What. Writing effective PPC ad copy requires an
understanding of copy restrictions and submission rules, which are ever changing.
Each search engine has their own guidelines and rules for ads, and you should study
them carefully before launching a campaign.
SAMPLE PLACEMENTS IN TOP ENGINES
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TRACKING AND ANALYSIS
Achieving and maintaining high search engine rankings is an ongoing process. Your
competitors are making the same effort in their attempts to be number one. Regular
monitoring will alert you to changes in your rankings, and corrective action can then
be taken.
The number of visitors who visit one page and then exit the site, also known as
“abandonment rate”
Number of unique site visitors
Average length of time visitors spend on the site
Top 25 visited pages and number of page views for each
Referring URLs: sites that direct traffic to your site
Top 50 search keywords and phrases that your visitors searched on to find your site
Top search engines that referred people to your site
At a minimum, monitor the following trends on your website on a monthly basis using a site stats package.
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When a potential customer searches the
web for your products or services, does your
website appear in the top search results, or
does your competition?