Optimization Top Tips
Tip #1: Target the Right Keywords
For those of you new to search engine marketing, a 'keyword' is
simply a word or phrase that people would search on to find your Web site. You
might think that choosing the right keywords to target should be a no-brainer.
However, you'd be surprised at how many people jump in, optimize their Web site,
and achieve top rankings. They then cry out in dismay when their hit counter
registers no more visitors than it did before they went to all the work to tune
up their site.
What happened? They failed to choose keywords that people were actually
looking for. Therefore, I recommend you:
A. Brainstorm a list of keywords and phrases that apply to your Web site's
products and services. Try to place yourself in the shoes of the Web searcher.
Avoid generalities like 'small business.' Yes, you may sell a product
for small businesses, but who is going to search for 'small business'
when they are looking for a new Windows accounting program?
B. Take advantage of excellent services like WordTracker to tell you which keywords are popular, but still not so competitive as to make
a top ranking next to impossible. There's a fine line between targeting keywords
that are TOO general or competitive versus keyword phrases that are so specific
that few people ever think to search for it. WordTracker handles both with ease.
In addition, it will do much of the brainstorming for you by taking just a
couple of keywords and producing a broad list of related words and phrases from
which to choose.
Again, please don't make the mistake of picking the wrong keywords. Nothing
is more disappointing than taking the time to achieve top rankings and then
seeing no increase in traffic from all your efforts. Also, don't pick keywords
that are too popular or broad like 'games' or
'entertainment.' You'll not only get visitors that are far less likely
to buy your product, but the amount of work needed to gain that ranking will not
be worth the trouble. You'll then join the ranks of misinformed critics
screaming 'search engine optimization doesn't work - don't waste your
time!' SE Optimization works and works well, IF you take the time to do it
right.
Tip #2: Proper Submission to the Major Directories is Critical
One of the most significant changes in search engine marketing in recent
years has been the rise in popularity of human reviewed directories and catalogs
like LookSmart, Yahoo, and Open Directory. Some search engines prominently
display directory listings for many popular searches. MSN is a prime example. Do
a search on MSN and you'll generally find the first page of results dominated by
LookSmart directory listings. Some of the other major engines also list
directory results prominently, or at least emphasize them in various ways. You
can recognize directory listings since they are often called 'Web Site
results' rather than 'Web Page Results.'
Once you submit to a directory, it's difficult to go back and correct
mistakes later. Some of them like Yahoo and LookSmart charge you as much as $200
for the privilege of simply being reviewed for inclusion. Therefore, it's of
utmost importance to get it right the first time.
There are many strategies for achieving great visibility with the
directories. Some of them involve keyword placement and some involve human
psychology. Many tips are found in my Looksmart Submission Guide.
Tips for other directories are found in the directory submission guide in
WebPosition Gold's submitter.
Read all the information you can about submitting to each directory BEFORE you
submit. Even if you've submitted already and ranked poorly, you should find some
strategies to help you reverse the damage.
Tip #3: Optimize your Page Content
There are countless tips for optimizing your page's content so that it will
be more 'relevant' to a given search. Each engine ranks pages
differently, so most tips are not universal. However, there is one tip that
overrides them all:
Create pages that emulate the 'statistics' of pages that already
rank at or near the top of the search results.
These statistics include:
a) Frequency of the keywords on the page. Tip: This does not mean more
keywords are better. Instead, emulate the same number of keywords of top ranking
pages as closely as possible. Be careful not to base your entire strategy on the
statistics of a single top ranking page. The content of a top ranking page could
have easily changed since it was last indexed. Therefore, every page ranking in
the top 10 may not always represent exactly what the engine is currently looking
for today. Using averages is one way to combat this problem.
b) Total words on the page. Tip: Mimic the approximate number of words of a
top ranking page on your own page.
c) Weight of the keywords on the page. (i.e. frequency divided by the total
words) Tip: Too high a weight is just as bad a too low a weight.
d) Area or location of the keywords on the page. (i.e., title, heading, etc.)
Tip: A keyword is given more relevance by an engine when the keyword appears in
the engine's 'preferred' areas.
e) Prominence. Tip: Generally, the closer to the front of the area you can
place the keyword, the better.
f) Proximity. Tip: The closer that the words of a phrase appear together, the
better.
g) Off-page criteria. (i.e., link popularity, click through popularity, etc.)
Tip: Even when you've done everything else right, don't forget the off-page
factors!
Bonus Tip 1: In general, you should try to include your keyword or phrase in
the title tag, the heading tag, the link text, and to a lesser extent, your meta
keyword and description tag. There are other areas you may want to include the
keyword depending on the engine. For example, Google is known to give a ranking
boost to keywords that are in bold or large print.
Bonus Tip 2: Naming your page after your keyword and/or obtaining a domain
name with your keyword in it will often boost your rankings.
Bonus Tip 3: If you run a regional business where most of your business is
local, it's critical that you include your full company address on every page of
your site. Otherwise people could search for 'Ford dealer in Chicago'
and you'd not appear if your company address were buried only on your contact
page. Also take advantage of 'proximity' by putting the word Chicago
as close to the phrase Ford dealer as possible. Lastly, make sure the address is
in text form since search engines can't read your address out of a graphical
logo on your page.
Bonus Tip 4: Don't spam the engines. Every engine has their pet peeves so
make sure you know what they are and avoid them.
Unfortunately, generalized tips will only take you so far. That's why we
developed the Page Critic feature of WebPosition Gold and have continued to fine-tune it over the years. We also update the advice
every month to keep pace with the changes at each engine. The Critic gives
specific advice for the keyword, the Web page, and the engine that you select so
you're not overwhelmed with advice that doesn't apply to your current goal. It
also has the ability to compare your page against other top ranking pages and
compare how they match up statistically. Without such a tool, you'd find
yourself wasting hours trying to count and locate keywords on your page and your
competitor's pages.
Tip #4: Increase your Link Popularity
This 'off-page' statistic has grown in importance in the last year,
becoming a significant factor at many engines. You must have at least one or
more links from other domains in order to be indexed by some engines. In
addition, if you don't have a high enough link popularity, you'll never achieve
top rankings on many keywords. Therefore, make link popularity a high priority
in your Web marketing plan. There are many strategies for increasing links to
your Web site. Links to your site not only improves your rankings, but will
increase your traffic in a consistent and long-term manner. I explained and
tested many link generating strategies in a past Market Position article.
If you're curious about how you stack up against your competition, you can
check your link popularity for free.
Tip #5: Track Your Progress
As you learn more about search engine marketing, you'll discover it is not an
exact science. Some of your pages will rank well the first time out, and some
will not. In addition, your rankings will fluctuate, calling for tweaks in
design from time to time. Therefore, as with any marketing strategy, you need a
method to measure your progress. In this case, you need a convenient way to
report your rankings for each keyword and engine you're targeting, and to track
the number of visitors to your Web site, along with where they came from.
Note: The information presented here adapted, under license agreement, from FirstPlace Software. |
