http://searchenginemarketingblog.zunch.com Views, thoughts, opinions, facts, rants, reviews on/about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) from the SEO/SEM teams at Zunch Communications, Inc. en-us Copyright 2008 Zunch SEO Blog - ZEN-SEM (Zunch Enlightened News - Search Engine Marketing) (Official Site) - Search Engine Optimization (SEO) http://searchenginemarketingblog.zunch.com/ Mon, 22 Sep 2008 22:23:13 CST With search engine marketing, you can get faster results than you would ever expect to receive with marketing your business off-line. In order for your Web site to get high search engine rankings, it takes more than skill and know-how; it takes a considerable amount of patience. Unfortunately, many people have the patience of a flea. They take the old saying “master the tricks of the trade” literally when it comes to online marketing.  If you master the dirty little tricks of the trade in Google, not only will your rankings remain low, your Web site will more than likely get banned altogether. So, here are a few tips on how to avoid your Web site from getting the ax. Don’t Duplicate Your Web Page Content This consists of accumulating page views by copying and pasting text from other Web sites, including your own. Google bans sites that contain large amounts of copied or duplicate content. Web pages that contain duplicate content are often referred to as “spam sites”. Never Allow a Robot to Write Your Site There are programs available on the Internet that will actually write your content.  However, these programs duplicate content by making a few minor changes. Here’s a better solution, write web content that’s 100% original. Don’t Trick the Search Engines by Cloaking Cloaking is a definite way to get banned. When designing your Web site, never design one to trick visitors and search engines. Before entering your site, it shouldn’t say one thing and when inside it’s the exact opposite. For example, when visitors are looking for a Web site on stock shares and they click onto a Web site about dental implants. This is called cloaking which is done with programming or tricky redirects. Don’t Add Keywords that Aren’t Associated with Your Content Make sure that you only use keywords that are associated with your Web site.  Never repeat the exact keyword numerous times.  For instance, using content about office supplies and stuffing keywords about vacation discounts or used cars. This will not only frustrate your visitor, it will lower your rankings. Avoid Keyword Stuffing or Hiding Content There are actually people who think that they can over stuff and hide keywords by making their font color identical to their background color.  This is one of the oldest - dirtiest little tricks, and I promise, you’re site will get banned.  So, never hide or stuff keywords on your web page. Lastly, another way to avoid getting banned in Google is to hire the right company to optimize your Web site. Stay far away from snake oil search engine marketing companies that are only out for your money. Always ask for referrals before hiring a company to optimize your site because you can get low rankings or banned if you hire the wrong company.  A reputable SEM company will optimize your Web site so that it is search engine friendly to both the search engines and your visitors. http://searchenginemarketingblog.zunch.com/post/Dirty_Tricks_to_Decrease_Rankings_or_Get_Your_Site_Banned_.html http://searchenginemarketingblog.zunch.com/post/Dirty_Tricks_to_Decrease_Rankings_or_Get_Your_Site_Banned_.html rnjonjo@gmail.com (Robert Njonjo) Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:17:00 CST Search Engine Optimization (SEO) If you're a do-it-yourselfer (DIYer) when it comes to building your website, there are a number of strategies you can use to help yourself in getting your webpages ranked in the seach engines. for example, carefully written titles, description meta tags, keyword-rich body text and incoming links. An important, but often neglected, element is the use of keywords in your Headings. The single most important heading on a page is the headline, name of the article or page name. Call it what you want, just be aware that this isn't the same as the Title Tag which shows up on search engines. Headings are the large font headlines that tell what's on a webpage -- the main headline as well as subheadings. There's an art to writing a headline, but that's a blog for another day. What we're concerned with here is the structure of your heading/headline. Headings in HTML,  H1, H2, H3... offer important clues to the search engines . Since headlines often contain important clues to the content of the webpage, search engines take note of any keywords found in headings.  In HTML, there are six header tags: H1 H2 H3 H4 H5 H6  <H# ...> indicates a header or a title of a section or subsection of the document. For example, to start the section of your page that discusses your product, you might put-- <H1>Buy My Product<H1/> Which gives you this on the page Buy My Product  Each header tag indicates the relative importance of each section it is heading: <H1 ...> is for the major sections of your document, or as the one header to the entire document. <H2 ...> is for the secondary sections of your document, etc. Using keyword-rich heading and subheads not only helps your search engine rankings, it can also make it easier for visitors to read the content on the page. Since many people start out skimming a webpage when they land on it, headers and subheads can both help gain their attention and guide them to what they are searching for. So use keyword-rich headers and subheads frequently on your page. The search engines will take notice and so will visitors to your page. http://searchenginemarketingblog.zunch.com/post/For_DYIers_Use_H1_H2_.html http://searchenginemarketingblog.zunch.com/post/For_DYIers_Use_H1_H2_.html james.sadler@zunch.com (James Sadler) Tue, 02 Oct 2007 10:03:00 CST Search Engine Optimization (SEO) One of the best ways to guarantee success on the Web is to keep visitors interested in visiting your site often. One of the best ways to do this is by offering new or refreshed content. Frequent updates to your site will keep customers engaged and assured that they have good reason to return. Frankly, nothing turns off customers more than seeing outdated or irrelevant information. So how do you keep content fresh? There are a number of  ways to create interesting content, including: Blogs: Blogs are a great viral marketing tool because they can incorporate the elements of interactivity, community and collaboration.  One caveat, don’t bore them to death. Polls and surveys: People love to share their opinions and polls and surveys work well as they provide visitors with both instant gratification and underscore interactivity. Articles and White Papers: People love to get free information. By updating and offering free articles and white papers on your site, you not only give them a reason to return, you can also score inbound links by allowing them to republish the work (with attribution, of course). Customer-driven content: One great way to get new content without having to write it yourself or hire freelancers is to ask your customers for contributions. Many visitors will jump at the chance to provide you with content, simply for the chance to see their name in print.  Content is still king on the Web. It should be the starting point for your Website and never treated as an afterthought. There’s simply no reason not to have an updated and interesting website. Set up a regular schedule for updating content on your site. For example, blog three times a week.  Keep content fresh and relevant, and you’ll keep them coming back for more.     http://searchenginemarketingblog.zunch.com/post/Use_Fresh_Content_to_Keep_Em_Coming_Back.html http://searchenginemarketingblog.zunch.com/post/Use_Fresh_Content_to_Keep_Em_Coming_Back.html james.sadler@zunch.com (James Sadler) Thu, 26 Jul 2007 13:51:00 CST Search Engine Optimization (SEO) I was recently reminded about test conclusions, posted last May by those wonderful people at Marketing Experiments, on the subject of Website headlines. Their conclusions pretty much sum up what most copywriters will tell you about your Website-- Your Landing Page absolutely must have a headline. The more specific your headline, the better your results. Properly optimizing your headline will produce the best results. The report is a quick read, so you've got no excuse for not reading it. Especially when you read how their findings showed that optimizing the headline on a Web page could produce an increase in the Website's conversion  rate in excess of 73%. I'm frequently amazed at how many Website's don't even bother to have a headline on the page, much less one that is written to attract attention and keep the visitor on the site.  Let's face it, when you're seeking prospects on the Web, don't you want to do everyting you possibly can to not only attract them to your site, but turn them into customers? Of course you do. So, read the report, and then do one of two things-- work on creating a compelling, optimized headline for your site, or give us a call here at Zunch, and put us to work on creating a prospect-grabbing headline for you. And if you think you've got a particularly challenging headline to create, just tell them you want me to work on it for you. I love a good challenge.   http://searchenginemarketingblog.zunch.com/post/Get_Specific_Get_Prospects_Get_Results.html http://searchenginemarketingblog.zunch.com/post/Get_Specific_Get_Prospects_Get_Results.html james.sadler@zunch.com (James Sadler) Mon, 12 Feb 2007 14:21:00 CST Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Today many sites are using Content Management Systems (CMS) in order to make it easy to do site updates and add new content, but one should not forget that many of these CMS activities can actually harm and even destroy a site’s rankings, if the CMS is not installed and used properly. Once you decide to switch to a CMS make sure that the old URLs are redirected, using 301 permanent redirection to the newer URLs. If possible, retain the existing URL paths. Choose your CMS carefully, as there are many Content Management Systems that create a site structure with very unfriendly URLs and that contain a number of special characters. Devote some time to find a system that will offer clean simple URL strings with minimal extra characters. This will help in retaining the current rankings of the site. The ideal CMS should be one that allows editing of all aspects of a given page like Meta Tags, Alt tags, Footer etc. A good, search-engine-friendly CMS is money well spent, especially if you are interested in maintaining and improving your existing rankings. http://searchenginemarketingblog.zunch.com/post/How_To_Get_Rankings_With_Content_Management_Systems.html http://searchenginemarketingblog.zunch.com/post/How_To_Get_Rankings_With_Content_Management_Systems.html satish.kshatri@zunch.com (Satish Kshatri) Fri, 26 Jan 2007 04:45:00 CST Search Engine Optimization (SEO) As long as search engines are the primary means people use to find Websites, search engine optimization (SEO) will play a vital role. Search engines do change their search algorithms from time to time, but in spite of this they will always look for quality site content to rank sites correctly. And quality content requires proper keyword placement, among other things. No doubt search engine optimization will continue to change in the coming future and changes will also occur in the use of keywords, linking techniques and website structure, but they will always have an impact in the rankings of a website. Consequently, SEO will continue to play an important role in getting a Website top rankings. Ten years from now, search will certainly look different, but let’s not forget that the Internet is still very young and search even younger. Regardless, in search engine optimization, the small things may change, but the basic fundamentals will remain the same and should always be in place to sustain consistent rankings in the search engines. http://searchenginemarketingblog.zunch.com/post/To_Be_Found_In_Search_Engines__SEO_Plays_A_Important_Role.html http://searchenginemarketingblog.zunch.com/post/To_Be_Found_In_Search_Engines__SEO_Plays_A_Important_Role.html shoby.sukumaran@zunch.com (Shoby Sukumaran) Mon, 08 Jan 2007 05:14:00 CST Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Today, more and more website developers are realizing the importance of search engine optimization (SEO) in developing a website. They have realized that together with a great design, websites need high search engine rankings to attract increased premium targeted visitors from the search engines. As a result, search engine optimization has become a  required element in website design. What Good is a Website if No One Can Find It? A large majority of websites are not designed keeping search engine ranking factors in mind and they get short-changed in the search engines’ rankings. When constructing your site, make sure your site is using a search engine friendly design. Search engine friendly web design entails creating website elements such as graphics, layout, coding, interlinking of pages, site structure and content in a manner that search engines want that makes the site visible to the search engines. http://searchenginemarketingblog.zunch.com/post/When_Designing_Your_Website_Keep_SEO_a_Priority.html http://searchenginemarketingblog.zunch.com/post/When_Designing_Your_Website_Keep_SEO_a_Priority.html satish.kshatri@zunch.com (Satish Kshatri) Sat, 23 Dec 2006 03:47:00 CST Search Engine Optimization (SEO) So you're fighting to get a high ranking in the search engines and convert visitors into customers. No easy task, particularly as your competitors probably have the same goals in mind. Want to know what will make or break you, particularly as to converting visitors to customers? Your content. Great content builds your brand. It makes the sale. And it closes the deal.  Yet way too many sites give little thought to content. I'm still amazed at how many companies simply upload their brochure onto their site and think that's sufficient. Or worse, fill up their pages with Flash or static images, doing nothing to sell a visitor on doing business with them. Why is the Web Full of "Filler?" At best, I'd guess that maybe (and this is a big "maybe") 20% of the sites on the web selling products or services have content designed to make sales and create customers. I'm probably being generous at the 20% figure. Gerry McGovern, a UK-based consultant widely regarded as a leading expert on the subject of web content, believes that less than 10% of content on the web is effective. That means that somewhere between 80-90% of commercial websites are failing to do their job. All because someone doesn't want to spend the time necessary to create enticing content. All because far too many businesses forget that their website is, in fact, a "Sales Person." So they load it up with whatever "filler" they deem appropriate and then wonder why they aren't getting more sales from their website. The Difference That Your Choice of Words Can Make There's an old story of how investment bankers were looking for investors in what were then referred to as "third world economies." Most investors had little interest. But then someone got the bright idea to start calling them "emerging economies" and suddenly the money came flowing in. Similarly, Fortune used to offer a supplement called "Better Plans for Retirement," but found little demand for it. Someone got the bright idea to change the title to "Retire Rich," and, BLAM!, suddenly the supplement became an in-demand, best seller. All that happened because someone took the time to choose the right words.  Finding the right words for your page title, your headlines, for all your content, is the essence of website success.  Do a search for keywords in your industry and look at the results on the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPS). I'll guarantee you that the top choices have well-written, content rich pages that both provide information and sell the visitor on doing business with them. Those sites will also be properly structured to be search engine friendly. That means that they use headlines and sub-headlines, short paragraphs and bullet points, among other things, to create a site that is informative, easy to read and entices the visitor to keep reading. Think about this. Early in it's development, the Internet was often called the "Information Superhighway." Why? Because most people were (and still are) going there for information. Information that's delivered in the form of content. If the information, the content, you provide is insufficient, your site has failed. If the information you provide is sufficient, if it answers your prospects questions and meets their needs, your site is a success and you're on your way to earning new customers. Take a look at your website today and try to judge it as objectively as possible. Ask yourself, "Is it doing the job it is supposed to?" If the answer is no, then rethink your content. It might be a good idea to hire a copywriter who is knowledgeable regarding creating SEO and customer friendly content. Here at Zunch Worldwide we offer copywriting as one of our services. If you'd like to learn what we can do for you, call or e-mail us today. But whether you do it yourself, hire us or hire a copywriter, don't accept anything less than effective, persuasive copy-- the essence of website success.   http://searchenginemarketingblog.zunch.com/post/The_Essence_of_Website_Success.html http://searchenginemarketingblog.zunch.com/post/The_Essence_of_Website_Success.html james.sadler@zunch.com (James Sadler) Wed, 06 Dec 2006 10:50:00 CST Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Moving to a new eCommerce platform can come with many hidden SEO issues which can seriously jeopardize your search engine optimization efforts. You need to ask the right questions to determine if a particular platform can support your SEO program. Are the URLs static, simple dynamic or complex dynamic URLs? Static URLs (http://www.site.com/page.aspx) are the optimal choice as there shouldn’t be any issue with the URL being crawled as there are no long variables or session id’s for the search engines to choke on. Simple dynamic URLs (http://www.site.com/page.aspx?category=487) have one variable. While search engines have shown that they have the capabilities to crawl and index these URLs, care needs to be taken in assigning the variable names. For example, Google has specified that they have a direct issue with variables named “id”. Complex dynamic URLs (http://www.site.com/page.aspx?category=487&id=7821564565&xtr=jhy76) have multiple variables and will most likely not be crawled, cached or properly indexed. Does the platform use cloaking or a “search appliance”? Great care needs to be taken when going this route. Either solution serves the search engines one thing and a user something else, although it may be only slightly different. It would be best to contact the engines directly and get written approval of the use of such technologies. Typically I have only heard of larger corporations having this type of access; however these solutions present a degree of risk that some may find unacceptable. These solutions are typically used to solve the problem of the complex dynamic URLs that these platforms usually use. As an alternative suggestion, a URL rewrite module/application would eliminate the risk involved with the other technologies and accomplish the same thing – the use of static URLs. Does the platform have a “built-in” SEO feature? Often times a “built-in” feature means that the title tag and meta data are created from the content of each individual page, or worse, one title tag and set of meta data is used for all pages within a category. The problem is for proper optimization you need to order your keywords and text in your title tag a specific way and in a specific order. In addition, more than likely you will need a custom meta description tag that is a couple of sentences to summarize the page. You probably will find that there are many pages where you don’t want the meta description pulled from the page’s body of content. How are redirects and 404 “Page Not Found” errors handled? Keeping a clean house can become an overwhelming task with an ever evolving online store. Promotions, as well as products, routinely come and go. How does the platform support these changes? Some examples of bad house cleaning are: 302 redirects that leave old pages indexed in the search engines and don’t pass on their “credit” (back links, etc.) to newer pages A typical black and white default 404 page that is a dead end to users with nowhere to go Old pages, that instead of redirecting properly, simply shows the new pages content (or a default page’s content) under the old page’s URL. Are DHTML drop down menus hiding navigational links? Depending on how drop down navigational menus are coded, it’s possible to completely hide navigational links from search engines as most DHTML drop down menus are generated with JavaScript. Since search engines cannot execute JavaScript, HREF links that are embedded in JavaScript (no physical HREF tag exists with the URLs) are not displayed to the search engine bot. http://searchenginemarketingblog.zunch.com/post/Is_Your_eCommerce_Platform_Bad_for_Your_SEO.html http://searchenginemarketingblog.zunch.com/post/Is_Your_eCommerce_Platform_Bad_for_Your_SEO.html Jeff.Martin@zunch.com (Jeff Martin) Tue, 14 Nov 2006 17:02:00 CST Search Engine Optimization (SEO) InternetRetailer shows us some interesting statistics for why people use one engine over another. Not surprisingly, a majority of AOL, Yahoo and MSN searchers use the service because its convenient; they are already there doing other things. What is surprising, however, is the fact that 24% of MSN searchers don't know why they use MSN! Hmm... The chart also reinforces the idea that it really doesn't matter who has the most relevant results. As I've said before, search is all about convenience. The moment you start searching the goal is to STOP SEARCHING. This is why Google was busy building GMail and Google Local when webmasters across the world were crying "just focus on your results and perfect your algorithm...blah blah blah." Another interesting note of interest will be the release of IE7. The integrated search bar will make it easier and more convenient than ever to choose an engine and get searching. We'll see how different this chart looks next November. http://searchenginemarketingblog.zunch.com/post/_The_Underlying_Reasons.html http://searchenginemarketingblog.zunch.com/post/_The_Underlying_Reasons.html Tyson.Kirksey@zunch.com (Tyson Kirksey) Wed, 08 Nov 2006 09:39:00 CST Search Engine Optimization (SEO)