Archive for October, 2009

Search engines are the #1 tool people use when shopping for products, services or information online. Optimize your website with the proper keywords or keyword phrases for your content and watch your traffic explode. If you gain an understanding of how to properly promote your website your efforts will reach it’s full potential.

To rank relevantly within search engine results, each website must be considered relevant to a particular search algorithm for a given keyword or phrase. Keyword selection can be a challenge to both experts and neophytes. While anyone can come up with various words that may be used when searching for their product or service, these words may not be the ideal mix for search engine ranking. Why? If a marketer chooses a popular keyword phrases, he or she and a million other businesses compete for top placement. Top SERP placement is dense, searchers typically giving up after the first three pages. To succeed, one must use relevant keywords that are not being used by everyone else and that are searched for quite often. This may include misspellings and other alternative data. After finding relevant keywords and phrases, the results must encourage conversion or success based on each business’ criteria. For example, while it may be possible for a DVD rental firm to get top listings under the search criteria “free DVD rentals”, the person who visits is looking for free merchandise and will leave if its not found.

For optimal search engine rankings, a page will be optimized for only one to two popular but non-competitive keywords or keyword phrases.

Keyword Coding

HTML coding are two words most people never want to hear, especially in a learning environment. But it’s important to understand the basic web page header structure and where the search engines look to find key words for search engine ranking pages (SERP).

Sites rank highest when each page is optimized separately. For instance, a business may have one website with unlimited interlinking pages. The top page must be named “index.HTML.” While each sub-page may be named according to the designer or programmer’s preference. Ideally sub-pages are named according to the strongest keywords or phrases for each business. Both the domain name and the URL or complete web address string, are important factors in determining search engine relevancy

Three important META tags are on each individual HTML page located between the “head” tags: description, keywords and title. The webpage description is the short sentence that displays after the listing name is the SERP’s. The keywords are not viewed by the casual surfer, but offer a clear-cut description of what is found on the website or who’s behind it. The title is the most condensed of all metatags. The title should repeat the top 1-2 keywords and describe what the site is about.

We can take the keyword theme as far as necessary, yet success through search engine optimization is not a 100% guaranteed way to gain top rankings and can often dilute the site and information quality by becoming a string of repetitive keywords, not value-added information. Some of these tactics include adding pages of keyword-rich articles solely to rank high. Another is developing a mini-empire of interrelated sites not for expert information, but solely to make the sites appear more important and relevant to the main site focus.

To ensure a small 30-page website is optimized, it must first renew keyword use each month to find the most popular terms for the three major search engines, Yahoo!, Google and MSN. Each page must be optimized for different but interdependent terms to strengthen the site as a whole. This involves new keyword research and website content for each page every month.

An example of a good ecommerce site using paid advertising instead of keyword optimization is buy http://automotive.com. Notice the content is relevant to the visitor entering and seeking the product. In contract, auto http://anything.com, a competitor site, relies heavily on keyword content, uses text that has no purpose and confuses the visitor with too many navigation links and useless words meant for search engines alone. Though this may gain rankings with work and keyword saturation, it can also damage a business reputation and ultimately lead to less sales.

Needless to say there are far more aspects to choosing the right keywords than I can cover in this article but the information provided here should give you a good insight into understanding how important it is to design a website that is keyword friendly.

Let’s face it, there is no magic bullet when it comes to successfully promoting your online business. There are pros and cons to almost everything you do. If you never develop a plan and put that plan into motion, you’ll never know if that’s the plan that will ultimately be the “magic bullet” that launches your online business to new found success.

Do give up! If at first you don’t succeed, TRY, TRY, AGAIN! There is a lot to learn when starting a online business. Give yourself a break and don’t set unrealistic goals. Contrary to popular beliefs, having a successful, profit making, online business doesn’t happen overnight.

So, Good Luck, Make Money and Have Fun Doing It - Shirley Kelly

ShirleyA Kelly
http://www.articlesbase.com/internet-articles/drive-traffic-to-your-website-using-the-right-keywords-97592.html

Does how clean your html code is have any effect on where you rank on search engines?

The first thing that you need to know is that most of the major search engines utilize an algorithm to determine where a website ranks. The search engines have setup specific criteria that a website must meet to get to the top of the list. The criteria are different for every engine, but all engines share several commonalities. It all boils down to the type and amount of content provided on a given website, the level of optimization done on the site, and the popularity of the website (link popularity/PageRank). They don’t care how clean the html code is as long as it works.

Link building and link popularity are an essential means for search engine optimization. The passion and effort to build quality links in your website will definitely earn your website a good ranking in search engines. It is an essential marketing tool for any website to market their products and services. The increase in the number of good quality links to your website results in improving your search engine rankings.

Some potent and effective links from popular website can help your website rise to the top in the search engines. Link building is the first and foremost strategy that websites opt for after submitting their website details to search engines. It plays a very important role in popularizing a website on the World Wide Web. It is also true that if numerous websites are linking to yours then you will definitely get lots of traffic on your website. Precisely, more traffic will bring more money and will also expand your business.

Link building can be done by diverse means some as reciprocal links, regular links, newsletters, directories, search engines. In fact it is a search engine optimization technique where every website owner tries to build relevant and quality inbound links to their website. It is also very essential to take care of the quality and quantity of the link that you provide for the website.

Basically there are three types of link building. These are reciprocal, one way and three way link building. Reciprocal link building is an approach considered by many website owners. Through this you provide your own link to other website and other website also gives their link to you. So, here the links are reciprocated with each other. This helps in bringing fame and popularity to both the sites.

One way Link Building is the means through which you can promote your link to other website. It is a great way to improve your link popularity and get a high ranking in the search engines like Google, Yahoo. It is more difficult to obtain than traditional reciprocal links, but surely gets a good ranking among the search engine results in the long run. The services include providing free content, such as access to articles, e-books, directory links, blogs, and business directory links.

Links must be used for the right purposes pointing the online users and make sure that you provide useful and relevant information to the search engines. The links can be bought, sold, traded and can be even received or given for free. A link should be Build focusing the web users. The creative and attractive links are rich in keyword which also serves the purpose of advertisement.

As we know that web exists on links. A systematic approach and a strategic link building process are very essential for an online business to survive. A good strategy for this will bring huge traffic to your site and will also improve your ranking in the search engines. This is also done to improve your website’s link popularity. It brings huge traffic to your website and makes your position strong in the market. Not only this, it also increases your profit margin and taking your business on new highs.

Steve Waganer
http://www.articlesbase.com/link-popularity-articles/link-building-makes-your-website-popular-126941.html

Google has become synonymous with searching the Internet. So
much so that “googling” means to search for information online.
When people try to improve

their site’s visibility, it’s no surprise that they measure
their success by their Google ranking.

This perception is not unreasonable. Google is still the most
popular search engine, used for about 46 percent of all searches
[1], down from a high of 80 percent [2].

However, focusing all your efforts on Google means ignoring a
large part of your potential audience. Yahoo is used for 22
percent of all searches, MSN for 13 [3], and both companies are
positioning themselves for dominance of the search engine
market. All three engines remain relevant when building a web
marketing campaign.

Don’t forget about the major directories like Yahoo Directory
and Open Directory (DMOZ). Be sure to hand submit to these
directories separately. You may remember it was just months ago
that Yahoo! was ONLY a directory! At the same time, Google,
partnered with DMOZ to compete with Yahoo. But, unlike Yahoo’s
$299 annual directory submission fee, a DMOZ listing will get
your site listed for free in almost all other major search
engines. No wonder DMOZ is called the “mother of all search
engines”.

Use of pay-per-click advertising, which is offered by all three
major engines, has become a hugely popular form of search engine
marketing. The Overture system (now named Yahoo! Search
Marketing Products) which is used by both MSN and Yahoo is at
least as useful as Google AdWords. If you’re going to advertise
on the web, now is probably the time to start spreading out your
resources to include at least the top 4 engines.

Demographics are yet another important element to factor into
your internet marketing plan. A study by Hitwise found that
Google was the preferred search tool for males, while MSN Search
appealed to females. Yahoo! was the more popular engine for
18-34 year-old searchers. MSN Search captured the over 55 crowd
[4].

Remember, ‘follow the money’ to predict competitor and user
trends. In 2004, $4 billion dollars was spent on search
marketing where by 80% went to Pay-per-Click (PPC) advertising
[5]. So it’s no surprise that both MSN and Ask Jeeves are coming
out with their own Pay-per-Click advertising products similar to
Yahoo’s and Google’s Adwords.

Where SHOULD you, the web site owner, invest your online
marketing resources to gain the greatest return? Consumers
generously boosted Google’s 2004 profits by advertising in
Adwords. Yahoo! got some of the pot too! Why? Because web
advertising is relatively easy and appears a sure bet to fast
web visibility. But how many website owners truly understand
their online market and more importantly, how to leverage their
return on investment for the long haul? On the one hand,
Google (Adwords) advertising seems like a no-brainer - and why
not? … you simply pay $.01 more than your top bidder and voila
- you’re in top rank position, visitors will come, and you’ll
make lots of money.

Think again. A slightly different 2004 test was conducted -
this time, to determine where the majority of web visitors
searched first. The study revealed that 80% of the searchers
observed went to the “organic” or non-ad listings first [6].

A web site that ranks high in the organic or regular search
listings is the result of diligent market research. This
includes a well designed and architected web site, search engine
optimization (SEO), an ongoing link campaign, and regular
analysis of visitor behavior and their transactions on your
website. SEO may cost a bit more up front but can save you a
bundle in advertising fees. A high rank position in the regular
listings can offer long term brand visibility after your
advertising budget dries up.

Limiting your marketing efforts to one search engine or one
search engine marketing method (i.e. online advertising), is
like spoon feeding your hard earned profits to your competitors.
Very similar to the brick and motor world, a web marketing
campaign should be multi-faceted, with an eye towards capturing
the niche markets your competitors may have overlooked.

Sources:

http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-10572_7-6219242.html

http://informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=1664
01654#_

http://www.getinposition.com

http://www.kahl.net

Footnotes:

1 http://searchenginewatch.com/reports/article.php/2156451

2 http://news.com.com/2100-1024_3-5141328.html

3 http://searchenginewatch.com/reports/article.php/2156451

4
http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.s
howArticleHomePage&art_aid=33281

5
http://www.albusiness.com/blog/SearchEngineSmarts/3968/002509.htm
l

6
http://www.albusiness.com/blog/SearchEngineSmarts/3968/002509.htm

Adsense School
http://www.articlesbase.com/online-promotion-articles/still-putting-all-of-your-eggs-in-googles-basket-2122.html

I am trying to find an automatic tool that will check and monitor my site ranks on Google and Bing search engines.. Is there any tool like that.. ? I don’t want to download anything on my computer.. it should be accessible from anywhere..

You should try KPMRS.com I like their easy to use interface and various other tools like social popularity and backlink monitor.

You can use it from anywhere. no downloading required.

Before you start your next Pay-Per-Click or keyword campaign, you had better get a good understanding of what to do and what not to do or you will spend far more money than you intended and your ROI (rate on investment) will not be good. Having a good understanding of how pay-per-click advertising works can help drive targeted traffic to your website and increase your bottom line.

Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising is quickly becoming the fastest and most effective way to reach the top search engine rankings for given key words and phrases. The concept is simple - we pay or bid competitively, for the placement within each search phrase.

While many of the search engines still have free inclusion, this does not always guarantee top placement. Keyword saturation and search engine optimization or the purposeful use of the keywords often within the website content, is also an unpredictable and often unsuccessful method of gaining ranking.

PPC ads are similar to typical ads within search engine ranking Pages (SERP’s), but they are above free listings often labeled “Sponsored Sites.” While some offer image or banner advertising in the same auction manner, most PPC ad services focus on text ads with a website URL and brief description of what the site offers.

Where each ad is placed depends on the keywords and key phrases you select for your ad campaign. Depending on the PPC search engine, this fee may be as low as $.01 going up based on popularity, demand and exactly how much others are willing to pay for high placement.

While advertisers pay only by the actual clicks made, visibility is, in essence, free. However there is an unspoken fee associated with “unpopular” or rarely clicked ads. Most Pay-Per-Click services balance the ad click-through rate (CTR) or how many times a viewer clicks the ad and the bid amount we’re willing to pay for each click when determining the ultimate seniority of each ad. Because CTR does play a significant role in placement, its wise to bid higher at the outset to gain significant clicks. It is also wise to gain as much interest and click through with each ad as possible to establish a stronger and lower priced ranking. Once this seniority is established, the cost may be lowered without harming the position quite as much.

PPC advertising offers instant results, good or bad. Once an ad is placed, it may be online immediately (in the case of Google AdWords) or within a week (in the case of Overture), receiving clicks and being rated immediately. Because of this instant response, unpopular keywords can be disenabled if not attended to fast enough making it next to impossible to use the keyword or phrase again. Also, because Pay-Per-Click advertising is an auction-style marketplace, SERP placement changes constantly.

To meet these needs, many major PPC advertising engines allow budget and automatic bid set-up. This allows you to put a maximum per day or per campaign budget on clicks, after which the ad is taken down until the budget is either replenished or automatically rolled-over to the next period. For instance, an advertiser may place a budget of $100 dollars per day on a campaign. When clicks meets this ceiling, ads stop until the next day to use up the next $100.

When conducting a Pay-Per-Click ad campaign, remember to keep the customer and their motivation in mind, develop a list of keywords that describe the products and services, target keywords the customer will be searching for and use specific phrases that clearly define the offering. Veer away from broad keyword matches, items we don’t offer or information that isn’t available on the website.

The current PPC marketing has more advertising demand than available, top-ranking spots. It’s not yet known how this demand will measure out or how PPC services will address this concern in the future.

Possibly the most important part of developing PPC ad campaigns is finding the right keyword phrases. To begin developing a strong keyword phrase list, type the initial ideas of what people would search for when seeking the website in a new Excel spreadsheet. Look through the site and analyze the words that describe the products or service. Review the website, identifying words that would be of most interest to the viewers. Check web server logs to find the words visitors currently use to find the site and what pages they find most interesting. Consider what action the customer should take - find information, purchase something, bookmark the site for latter shopping or other positive advertising result.

Use the Google Keyword Tool, Overture Keyword Tool or http://WordTracker.com to find other relevant searches around the initial ideas. Its best practice to use the longest search phrases possible, using those no less than three words long. The more specific, the lower the cost and the more targeted traffic received. If selling specific brands, use the brand names in the keyword phrases.

Customers search during all phases of the shopping cycle - from gathering data to comparing prices and finally submitting their credit card with the store. Use keywords within each phase, considering the highest conversion will come from the audience ready to buy.

Each keyword phrase should be product or service specific. Select the type of keyword searches the ad will show under, such as broad matches, exact matches, negative matches and so forth. For example, a bookshop may want to advertise under the key word phrase “car books,” but not show up for the search term “Kelly blue book cars.” They have the option of blocking searches with the term “Kelly blue book cars” in the phrase.

Keyword selection is important to narrow down the exact target audience and search relevance. Additionally, the ads gain a stronger click-through rate or CTR when carefully targeted to the search traffic. Ads with low CTR may be disenabled. Ads with high CTR will gain higher ranking at a lower bid cost.

When we target exactly what the consumer is looking for, conversion rate increases significantly.

When searching online, potential customers may type many variations of the keywords including misspellings, plural form or switched word orders. So use these in the Pay-Per-Click ads also to gain the strongest and broadest audience range.

When we target exactly what the consumer is looking for, conversion rate increases significantly.

When searching online, potential customers may type many variations of the keywords including misspellings, plural form or switched word orders. So use these in the PPC ads also to gain the strongest and broadest audience range.

Needless to say there are far more aspects to Pay-Per-Click and Keyword Selection than I can cover in this article but the information provided here should give you a good insight into understanding how important it is to have a good understanding of how the whole Pay-Per-Click and keyword selection works.

ShirleyA Kelly
http://www.articlesbase.com/internet-articles/getting-the-most-out-of-your-payperclick-and-keyword-campaign-97596.html

Can you actually ruin your business by employing SEO copywriting techniques to your web pages? It is not likely but it is possible. It is especially possible if the text you are uploading to your pages are more search engine spider friendly then they are people friendly. Many people can recognize this type of writing and are very offended by it if they see it on the site. They see SEO techniques in copywriting as a compensation for a less than satisfactory product.

Another thing to keep in mind is that once you send out SEO articles to ezine or article directories or out on an RSS feed the results can be difficult to alter. SEO writing can be costly too, not only in terms of the time you must spend figuring keywords and keyword phrases but also in the time you must spend actually writing the articles. It is also costly if you decide to hire SEO writing specialists.

What many Internet gurus don’t tell you about search engine optimization, SEO articles also need to be done fast if they are to succeed. Many keywords go stale after a month or two and it takes two to three months for search engines to crawl your site. This is because the search engine rankings that they consist of are often created from key words and key word phrases that are ranked in the top ten search results of a search engine. However sooner or later those keyword positions are going to change and more than likely slip down in the rankings. This also means that you need to be tied to the services of a professional copywriter to keep your copy that you are sending looking consistent. SEO articles and copy that seems fake or erratic because several ghostwriters did it simply turns off potential customers to your site.

Chris Angus
http://www.articlesbase.com/seo-articles/seo-search-engine-optimization-copywriting-considerations-85838.html