Search Engine Optimization

The success of a website is often closely related to its rank in search engine results. This article describes the basic techniques of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) that can be used . Before discussing specific tips and tricks, let's set the context by considering the importance of search engine ranking.

Search engines are the market makers of the Internet. They connect consumers with providers at the very moment of consumer interest and enable all of us to find exactly what we want, when we want it. They bring great efficiency to the Internet and our lives and shall exist as long as the network of servers and computers we call the Web is around.

Positioning, one of the four Ps of marketing, is an absolutely critical component of the marketing mix. If you are not positioned to be where your customer is when your customer is ready to buy, you lose. Your competitor who is in that place at that time wins.

The first purpose is to be positioned in the places where your customer is. The second purpose is to be positioned better than your competitions in these places. In the world of Google it means higher, and higher means a much greater probability that an individual will click on your link. Recent search data has shown that approximately 70% of users, if they click, will click on one the first three listings in a search engine.

Search engine traffic is highly targeted. That's because potential buyers who find your B2B offerings through search engines are looking for your products and services on their own, so they are predisposed to hear your marketing message. You can’t find a more qualified prospect than that. Here’s what distinguishes search engine marketing from other types of advertising:

1. Non-Intrusive:  It  is a non-intrusive marketing tool. Most advertising, both online and offline, interrupts consumer behavior. If a user goes to a web site for info, up pops an intrusive ad. Reading a newspaper? Ads dominate and force articles to be continued on another page. With this, the user is actively seeking your products, services, and information. They are delighted to be driven to your site.
2. Voluntary: Marketing is the result of user-originated behavior. Your visitors from Google and directories have voluntarily clicked on your listing rather than any competitors, thus they are motivated to explore your offerings.

The first step is to choose your keywords or keyphrases for each of your web pages.  Keywords are the terms that users type in the box to conduct a query. The right keywords are those that:

1. clearly describe the purpose and content of your site, and,
2. allow your site to show up as close to the first results page as possible.

A good position doesn't depend only on your choice of keywords.  It also depends on how well you position those keywords in your web page, and how many quality external pages link to you.  However, choosing the wrong keywords can throw off your entire strategy, so you need to invest a few hours and make sure you do it right.

Let's start with your homepage.  Look at it carefully and write down the words and phrases that best define your site.  Try to form two or three word phrases, since competition for one-word keyphrases is fierce, and it is virtually impossible to get a top position for them.  That is why, from now on, we will talk about keyphrases, not keywords.  Once you have developed your list of potential keyphrases you are ready for the next step: to analyze the demand and supply for those keyphrases, and choose the best ones (those with good demand and not enough supply).

How SEO Works?

Google uses software, often referred to as a 'spider', which constantly crawls the internet by following links from one site to another, reading the text of the websites it finds and then recording or indexing the results in its database. When someone looks for some thing using keywords such as 'Services', the Spider uses its secret formula or algorithm to determine the most relevant results for that request.

The results page is made up of two sections - sponsored links and organic results. The sponsored links, which is paid advertising, are the entries on the right-hand column. The organic results are in the left-hand column. Getting your website to rank as high as possible in the organic results is referred to as SEO.

How to Improve Rankings?
Google  has no set of rules just guidelines no specific rules. These guidelines are the key to the success if done properly. Remember there are no rules it is quite possible that you achieve your results by using one thing and your competitor achieves the same results using different.

Keyword Research:
Which keywords do you think your customers would type in to look for your products or services? A keyword can be one word, e.g. 'restaurant', but multiple keywords or keyword phrases are usually preferred because they are more specific and more likely to be what your customers are looking for, e.g. 'graphic designer Perth'.
Write down as many as you can think of. Brainstorm with your team and think of alternative words. Consider geographical phrases, e.g. 'house cleaning Hornsby'. Get some ideas from your competitors' websites. Try to make a list of 20 to 30 keyword phrases.
Choose the two keyword phrases you think would be most searched for. But also remember the more competition there is for a keyword, the harder it is to achieve top rankings. If you want to rank high in Google for the keyword 'Services', you have a very long journey ahead. So try your best to select two keyword phrases that are the most relevant to your business but that are not vague or competitive.

SEO Tip #1: Make Google Alerts Your Personal Online Spy

Google Alerts is a great way to let google be your personal online spy. This takes the insider info to whole new level. Here's an excerpt straight from Google....

"Google Alerts are email updates of the latest relevant Google results (web, news, etc.) based on your choice of query or topic.

Some handy uses of Google Alerts include:

* monitoring a developing news story
* keeping current on a competitor or industry
* getting the latest on a celebrity or event
* keeping tabs on your favorite sports teams"

As you probably guessed, it's the second one we care about most, "keeping current on a competitor or industry."

Here's how it works... Each time Google finds a reference to the query or topic you request you will be sent an email with the details. This is like having an online spy to make sure competitors are not using your protected keywords (trademarked names, company names, etc.) It's also an instant identifier to know when your site or product is mentioned in a news story or even when a topic is hot so you can take advantage of the situation. It's the easiest way in the world to stop competitors' dirty tricks and identify trends that you can take instant advantage of.

It's fast, free and works every minute of every day. Let Google Alerts (http://www.google.com/alerts) do your most time consuming legwork while you reap the rewards!
SEO Tip #2: Optimize Your 404 Page and Always Be Found

"Error 404: Page Not Found" is a blessing that most Webmasters curse. Why? Getting a visitor on any page of your site is fantastic! Don't blow the opportunity. Not only can you make your "404" page a valuable sales tool, you can use the following techniques to attract customers in droves.

A.) Use your main keyword in your title, add a "pipe" (usually above the Enter key) and then use your secondary keyword. Here's as example for an SEO site "SEO Tips"

B.) Add some keyword rich content using one to two keywords for the page. If you have less than 250 words on the page, just use one keyword and use it no more than three times total. Bold the first use and italicize the second or third use. Keep in mind this is an "inactive" page so simply tell the visitor what your site is about and whet their appetite with a good description. Something like this works well... "Thank you for visiting (bold) Group, Inc. We are sorry you landed on a missing page but don't worry, if you're looking for the very best tips (bold), you're at the right place..." This will go on for a couple paragraphs or as long as you'd like then end it with something to the effect of "Please Click Here (link) to visit our site map or click any link to the left."

C.) Add your site's standard navigation system (bar, column, etc.) as mentioned above.

D.) Make the look and feel of the customized 404 page match your main site as closely as possible with a template, matched palette, cascading style sheets, etc.

E.) Create a link to the site map page if available, and make the link easy to find. You want your visitor off the 404 page and into your main content as quickly as possible.

Setting up a custom 404 page link usually takes less than five minutes on most major Web hosting companies like Godaddy.com. But whatever it takes, it's worth the effort.
SEO Tip #3: Get (Even More) Serious About Linking

I saved the most important for last. If you want to do well on Google, linking is THE single MOST important thing you can do. It's that simple.

Here are the five things you MUST do to make your site #1 on Google:

A.) Find the highest page rank sites linking to your site AND your competitors' sites.

B.) Run monthly link campaigns and snatch up the best of the above identified Web sites.

C.) Run regular checks on what pages are still linking back to your site. Alsomake sure they did not move you from a high page rank page to a lower one (don't get cheated!)

D.) Eliminate any penalized sites you link to; ASAP!

E.) Check your ranking AND your competitor's for each of your keywords every week. Do this, at the minimum, for Google, Yahoo, MSN and Alta Vista.

Inside Tip: Keeping up can be a lot of work so a lot of SEO Consultants (myself included) use SEO Elite (http://www.SEOeliteWeb.com) to do all the most difficult and time consuming work.

There's one more very important thing to know; Google was originally a Ph.D. student's project and was created for the sole purpose of defining a Web site's value by the sites that link to it. Twelve years later this is still it's main job. Linking is EVERYTHING to Google.