Which search engine do you use when you turn to the Internet to find something? Well, my first guess would be Google, followed by Yahoo, then Bing (formerly MSN Windows Live). Maybe you use more than one depending on the type of content that you are trying to find, but no matter which search engine you use what's more important is which one that your customers are using to find your website. Besides, no matter which search engine you or your customers use, you are bound to notice some changes upcoming in 2010.
Google announced that it will be adding 'real time search' to certain search page results. Real time search is not a new concept as and has been around for sometime now, but with the recent explosion of sites like Twitter and Facebook, Google is trying to improve their algorithm in order to improve this technology. Real time search would include things like status updates from Facebook and recent tweets from Twitter. Not every search query would trigger real time search results, but popular or hot topics and trends would be something that causes real time search information to be included in your search queries.
This is yet another reason why you and your business need to have Twitter and Facebook pages. If you don't, your competitors will. Other than social media starting to make a bigger impact on search engine results, another new ranking factor being talked about is page speed. Have you ever been on a website that takes forever to download? Sure we all have and it's pretty annoying. Well, Google also feels the same way and they are talking about the speed of web pages being a new factor in ranking. If two sites have equally beneficial information, but one loads twice as fast, then the faster website is going to rank higher. It just makes sense.
If your website has a lot of graphics or videos that take a while to buffer, then you need to re-think your design. If you have a site that is plagued by these kinds of inefficiencies then you definitely must do something to cut down on the file sizes of your pictures and videos. Even without Google adding that into their algorithm, it's just good business sense to provide your visitors with a quality site that is easy to browse and quick to download. When designing and building a website you should always think like a user or web visitor.
So to sum it all up, in 2010 and beyond you will need to get more active in social marketing and you need to have a web design that allows for fast downloading. You also need to create unique and compelling content and update it more frequently. Getting active in social media sites can help you showcase your new content with links to it or quotes about it. It can also help spread brand awareness and keep up with the Internet community as a whole. Things change quick Online and the more active you are, the quicker and easier it will be to keep up with changes.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Some Basic Search Engine Optimization Steps
Website Analysis
Before optimizing a website a thorough analysis of the website, its content, potential customers should be done. A competitive analysis of the competitor’s website to find out what new techniques they are using. This would give you an idea of the strategy which you could use for your business promotion.
Keyword research
Relevant keywords play a major role in search engine optimization. With the help of certain keyword research tool you get the best & the most frequently used keywords. Before preparing the final list of keywords an analysis of the competitor’s site, keyword phrases & Meta tags should be done thoroughly.
On page optimization
It includes refining of HTML code, content analysis, developing optimized pages, creation of sitemap so as to enable search engine spiders to assess the nature of your website.
Off page optimization
It includes search engine as well as directory submission of your site. Search engine submission ensures that the search engines are aware of your online presence. Directory submission would provide your site with the much needed exposure. They are a good way of generating back links thereby generating targeted traffic to your site.
It includes monitoring the keywords finalized before optimization and the modifications made post optimization.
Before optimizing a website a thorough analysis of the website, its content, potential customers should be done. A competitive analysis of the competitor’s website to find out what new techniques they are using. This would give you an idea of the strategy which you could use for your business promotion.
Keyword research
Relevant keywords play a major role in search engine optimization. With the help of certain keyword research tool you get the best & the most frequently used keywords. Before preparing the final list of keywords an analysis of the competitor’s site, keyword phrases & Meta tags should be done thoroughly.
On page optimization
It includes refining of HTML code, content analysis, developing optimized pages, creation of sitemap so as to enable search engine spiders to assess the nature of your website.
Off page optimization
It includes search engine as well as directory submission of your site. Search engine submission ensures that the search engines are aware of your online presence. Directory submission would provide your site with the much needed exposure. They are a good way of generating back links thereby generating targeted traffic to your site.
Monitoring & position reports
It includes monitoring the keywords finalized before optimization and the modifications made post optimization.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Why SEO is important for your web site
It is the method of analyzing and constructing individual web pages, as well as entire sites, so that they can be discovered, analyzed, and then indexed by various search engines.
SEO can make the content of your web pages more relevant, more attractive, and more easily read by search engines and their crawling and indexing software.
Why would this be of great importance to you? Would it be important to you if customers were unable to find your telephone number or find the address of your business? I do not think that many businesses could survive for very long in this situation.
This situation could apply to a web site. Can potential customers locate your current web site easily? Traffic to your web site could be extremely low. Potential customers might not even know that your site exists.
"Wait a minute!" you say. "We have a beautiful web site, and we include the web site address in all advertising campaigns. Why would people be unable to find our site?"
Of course, your current customers and persons already acquainted with your business would be likely to find your web site without difficulty. Wouldn’t they?
Are you absolutely sure that your advertising has reached enough potential customers? Did you consider that some people simply do not read the newspapers? How about people who didn’t get the issue of the magazine where you placed an expensive ad?
Did these people hear the WABC radio broadcast when your commercial aired? Were they watching channel 44 during the news hour? Were they on the direct mail list for which you paid thousands of dollars?
So how about those search engines that everyone uses? Potential customers will type a word or two into the box, hit ’Enter’, and immediately find a listing for your company’s web site. One more click and you have another visitor. Search engines sure are great, aren’t they?
Yes, they certainly are great, and the ’type-and-click’ scenario above does happen. More often than not, however, it doesn’t happen without a little work. Search Engine Optimization is that work.
SEO can make the content of your web pages more relevant, more attractive, and more easily read by search engines and their crawling and indexing software.
Why would this be of great importance to you? Would it be important to you if customers were unable to find your telephone number or find the address of your business? I do not think that many businesses could survive for very long in this situation.
This situation could apply to a web site. Can potential customers locate your current web site easily? Traffic to your web site could be extremely low. Potential customers might not even know that your site exists.
"Wait a minute!" you say. "We have a beautiful web site, and we include the web site address in all advertising campaigns. Why would people be unable to find our site?"
Of course, your current customers and persons already acquainted with your business would be likely to find your web site without difficulty. Wouldn’t they?
Are you absolutely sure that your advertising has reached enough potential customers? Did you consider that some people simply do not read the newspapers? How about people who didn’t get the issue of the magazine where you placed an expensive ad?
Did these people hear the WABC radio broadcast when your commercial aired? Were they watching channel 44 during the news hour? Were they on the direct mail list for which you paid thousands of dollars?
So how about those search engines that everyone uses? Potential customers will type a word or two into the box, hit ’Enter’, and immediately find a listing for your company’s web site. One more click and you have another visitor. Search engines sure are great, aren’t they?
Yes, they certainly are great, and the ’type-and-click’ scenario above does happen. More often than not, however, it doesn’t happen without a little work. Search Engine Optimization is that work.
Title Tag Best Practices
Highly relevant to the page
Probably 5-12 words, but ideally under the 70 characters limit, so the full title appears in Google SERPS (search engine results pages) but it depends on the page content - character counter.
A call to action which reflects exactly a searcher’s intent (ie to learn something, or buy something, or hire something. Remember this is your hook in search engines!
The perfect title tag is unique in relation to other pages on the site.
I like to ensure my keywords feature as early as possible in a title tag
For me, the company name goes at the end of the tag, and I use a variety of dividers as no one way performs best
I like to think I write titles for search engines and human
Know that Google tweaks everything regularly - why not what the perfect title keys off?
Don’t obsess! Natural is better, and will only ‘get better’ as engines evolve
I think the more unique a title is relative to the site, the better in the long run.
Probably 5-12 words, but ideally under the 70 characters limit, so the full title appears in Google SERPS (search engine results pages) but it depends on the page content - character counter.
A call to action which reflects exactly a searcher’s intent (ie to learn something, or buy something, or hire something. Remember this is your hook in search engines!
The perfect title tag is unique in relation to other pages on the site.
I like to ensure my keywords feature as early as possible in a title tag
For me, the company name goes at the end of the tag, and I use a variety of dividers as no one way performs best
I like to think I write titles for search engines and human
Know that Google tweaks everything regularly - why not what the perfect title keys off?
Don’t obsess! Natural is better, and will only ‘get better’ as engines evolve
I think the more unique a title is relative to the site, the better in the long run.
Maximum Number of Characters in Page Elements for Google SEO
1. Number of Characters In A Title - 65/70
2. Number Of Characters In A Meta Description - 160
3. Number of Characters in A Link - 55
2. Number Of Characters In A Meta Description - 160
3. Number of Characters in A Link - 55
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