Do meta key words help or hurt SEO
I Came accross a blog post by Chris Smith:
Around a year ago, Danny Sullivan did some great research on the Meta Keywords tag to determine which search engines are using it. He found indication that Google and Microsoft Live Search ignore it for keyword ranking (retrieval) purposes, while Yahoo! and Ask are apparently using it. With Google having the bulk of the search marketshare, and Yahoo possibly only using the tag to a limited degree, it would seem rather extraneous to continue using it for search optimization.
Read more
I always thought that having as many keywords in your meta tag as possible is best. But it might not actually be.
I know that you need to have the right keyword density to have the Propper SEO done. Don’t over load your page with the same words over and over. Don’t let it look like spam. Make it sound as ligit as possible. If your website is about emails and email marketing, use those words in your content. But don’t use it too much. Don’t make your keywords the only thing people see when they read your content. Make it as informative as possible.
How important is Google Pagerank?
Is Google’s Pagerank still important? Does it really mean anything if you have a high pagerank? well, maybe…
Many of the current regulars believe PageRank (PR) is no longer important to Google SERPs. Google started it’s search engine based on PageRank, but over the years they have had to alter their search algorithm to combat those who try to gain higher rankings through understanding how the algorithm works and adapting a websites code etc… to meet those requirements.
For example a couple of years back you could create a new site with 1,000 optimized pages (and optimizing a page isn’t rocket science), give it enough links (from any source almost) to get the home page to PR5 and within a few months you were practically guaranteed a fair chunk of targeted traffic. Now it takes at least 9 months and more likely 12 months to see any significant traffic. It’s been called the Sandbox Effect and has really made organic SEO much harder.
Some Websites have a very low pagerank, but still get allot of traffic. In those cases, pagerank is of no real importance.
This change does not mean Google no longer uses PR/links as part of it’s ranking process, just it’s changed how it’s does things to make an SEOs task much harder.
My take on this is Google used to take the value of a link and basically immediately pass that link benefit in full to the recipient page. Now (2005 onwards) there’s a significant delay between adding a link and seeing it’s benefit fully. So when a page gains a new link it won’t see it’s full effect for maybe 6 months or more (I estimate it’s between 9 and 12 months).
Since a lot of people have little patience and expect what they do today to show rewards quickly this has led them to believe PR is no longer important, since the PR of the page goes up within 3-4 months, but rankings doesn’t move for 6+ months (12+ months in some cases).
As a webmaster this means you must obtain long term links no short term links like you see with the blackhat technique of link spamming where a comment spammed link from a blog has a relatively short life on a high PR page.
To the webmaster building a real, substantial business around Google traffic expect a minimum year delay, it will be slow going with a lot of work, but you’ll get there eventually and when you do you will most likely stay there for years to come.
This is what businesses should want (long term stability) and what Google wants (sites that have earned their traffic), no fly by night web sites that rank well for a couple of months, get banned and so are deleted only to be replaced with a similar site that’s banned a few months later.
PR is also important for other reasons, which I’ll explain another time.
So Google pagerank does matter, it just depends on what you are looking for when it comes to pagerank.
Dominate Google Rankings
You can be on top of Google ranking for any search term! You can Dominate the Internet withing 24 hours, you can make hundreds of dollars a day… all you need to do is sign up here:
Sound familiar? Well, the truth is all you need to know and do is a few simple steps and you can be on top. You don’t need to sign up to anything, you just need some knowledge, and here it is. Free, simple and easy to do.
Domain Names
Age: Make sure your domain name is at least six months old.
If it’s more than a year old, that’s even better. Google
often (but not always) likes domains to be at least six
months old before indexing the site. How do they know? They
use a “whois” database like the one at:
http://www.AllWhoIs.com.
Go there and enter your domain if you want to see what
Google (and anyone else in the world) can instantly know
about your site.
TLD Type: TLD stands for Top Level Domain, which is to say
the letters after the dot. The best ones to have are “.com,
.net. .org and .edu.” These get the most play in Google’s
top 3 rankings for just about every keyword you can
imagine, with “.com” and “.edu” being the best.
Embedded Keywords: If you have your main keyword (and ONLY
your main keyword) as a dotcom domain name with even just
halfway decent page text and some good inbound links you
can usually nail number one on Google for that keyword.
I’ve done it dozens of times. It’s a no brainer.
Dashes: Having a dash in your domain name might be bad for
branding, but it can open whole new doors of opportunity for
your search engine optimization efforts. You see Google
treats a dash as a null value (almost like a space) and can
take them or leave them with equal indifference. So, if your
main keyword phrase is a few words long, you can place a
dash between each word. If that’s taken, just try one dash
separating the first and second words but leave the second
and third word grouped together. You get the idea. Just
keep trying combinations until you have one that works and
scoop up the domain. Even if you sit on it for six months,
you’ll have it when you want it.
Now on to the next big item; keywords. The best keyword
embedded domain name in the world will mean little if
nobody is searching for that keyword. That said; let’s find
the best keywords possible for your site. Here’s how…
Keywords:
Keywords in Demand: Let’s snoop into Google’s keyword
database and find some winners. Go to
https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal and
enter any keyword or phrase you think your target audience
is looking for. Now click on the top header link to sort by
desired search volume to see which words get the most
searches.
Go Long: And don’t be afraid to use longer keywords as long
as they get plenty of searches. Not only will this narrow
the tasks of your workload for actual optimization but it
will open all kinds of new options for finding great (dash
laden) domain names and even help cut back on your
competition.
Narrow Your Field: Now take the top ten or so relevant
keywords and phrases and list them in order of “Approximate
Monthly Searches Performed.” You might want to paste the
keyword into one column of a spreadsheet and the number of
searches into the next column. This next part takes a bit
of math so we might as well let Excel do it.
Competition:
Competition; Less is Better: “Less is better.” Well that’s
the understatement of the year. But how do you know how
much competition you will be up against? It’s easy. Simple
division does the trick nicely. Here’s how…
Google It: Go to Google and paste in your first keyword
phrase. Look in the upper right area of the page and see
how many pages you will be competing against if you try to
optimize for that keyword (Results 1 - 10 of about
123,000,000 for “keyword”.) Now record that number in the
cell to the right of “searches performed.” You can go ahead
and do the same for each keyword. When you have all the
info you need have Excel divide the number of “competing
pages” by the number of “searches performed.” The lower the
resulting ratio; the better your chances. Your best bet is
to take the lowest ratio number with the highest number of
“searches performed.” This is your optimal target.
Even More: But we’re not done yet! Now find the next best
two runnerup keywords and write them down in order of
importance. We’ll need them soon.
Content:
The King Lives!: You’re probably sick of hearing it but
content really is king. Developing search engine friendly,
well optimized content (for REAL people) is key to your
success. Google can read a Web page just like a person
thanks to its natural text algorithm. So keyword spamming
and robotic writing do not work with Google. But here’s
what DOES work…
Keep it Real: Call a close friend and tell him or her
exactly what you want to tell your web visitors. Then as
quick as you can write it down, as close to “word for word”
as you can remember. Just let the words flow. You can fix
spelling and grammar later.
Fitting In: Now, with your list of three keywords, go back
through your text and fit your most important keyword as
close to the beginning of the first sentence as possible.
Now go ahead and place your number two keyword someplace
else toward the beginning of your first paragraph. Your
third keyword should go into the beginning of the second
paragraph if possible.
Now use only one of your keywords for each of the next
three paragraphs. Try to make them fit naturally toward the
beginning sentence or two of each paragraph.
Throw in a Curve: Now use a reverse order for the very last
paragraph. Put your least important keyword (number 3 pick)
at the beginning of the paragraph and your best keyword at
the end. This shows consistency (at least as far as Google
is concerned.)
Last but not least, do not repeat any keyword more than
three or four times on a page. I stick with a 3 x 3 method
and it works great (3 keywords each mentioned 3 times over
the course of about 9 paragraphs.)
Getting Links and Monitoring Your Site:
Inbound Links: Having high quality inbound links can
account for more than 75% of your search engine ranking
success. Getting these links is the crucial step that will
get you over the top. At the same time you need to monitor
your progress and your site’s status (how search engines
REALLY see it). This will tell you not just where you are -
but where you are likely to be. In the old days, we had to
do all of the link work and monitoring by hand. And believe
me, it took a long time (I averaged about 16 hours per
week; per site!). My advice is to find a good SEO tool and
let it do the tough and repetitive work for you. If you get
hold of the right product, it’s the best money you’ll ever
spend.
There you go, that is all you need to dominate Google Rankings. Simple hey?
Do you have any tips on Search engine optimization?
share them
Linking, Do it Right
What IS link building?
I can tell you right now, it’s not a place you find on the web where you join a link exchange program to get some links to your web site. I made that mistake already. You don’t have to.
It’s not a web site on the Internet you find and hit “submit link” and think your rankings will get you on the first page of Google and thousands of people will come flocking to your site because they can finally find you.
And it’s definitely not an automated link exchange program you found to get you automatic links while you sleep.
What about a free link exchange? Don’t do it if it’s an FFA (free for all) web site. Period. Just do not submit your web site link there, ever.
So what CAN you do to get started on some serious link building techniques that will get you listed on the first page of Google?
- Do your homework.
- Find out what keywords people are actually typing into the search engines, not which ones you “think” you want to rank for that people “might” be typing into a Google or Yahoo search engine box.
- If you merely “guesstimate” which keywords you want to build links for, you just wasted one valuable year of your life. If you want to know the # 1 Keyword Research Tool is that I use, please go to my web site and view item 3 of this article.
- Check your competition’s web sites. Type a keyword you want to rank for on Google, then look at the first two organic (free) web sites’ source code. What keywords are in their title tag? Grab them. Start making a list on a piece of paper of these keywords.
- Repeat step 4 for any keywords you’ve researched that actually GET searches, then, and only then, can you start some serious, one way link building efforts.
- There is quite a bit more research I can tell you to implement regarding your competition, and you can find out how many links you will need to beat your competition, but that will have to be for another day. You’re already 99 per cent ahead of the game with the steps I’ve outlined for you in this free link building article.
- Start writing articles. Not just any articles, either. Make sure the title of your articles start with one of the keywords you just spent time reasearching. If you want to rank for SEO Services, then make sure your article title is something like, SEO Services for Less. Always try and make the first words in your title tag and article titles your primary keywords. The search engines read from left to right.
- Place the primary keywords in the first sentence or paragraph of your article, then again in the last sentence or paragraph of your article.
- Make sure you place other secondary keywords you have researched that are in direct relation and highly relevant to your article and product–place these secondary keywords throughout your article. Make sure they flow for the reader. It must make sense.
- Once you have an article with at least 500, preferable 750, words, post it on article directory site in the related category to your product or service. Make sure you choose an article directory site that lets you make your primary keyword an anchor text link. If they only let you place your web site in the article, or only under the author’s information, I wouldn’t waste my time submitting my unique, original article on their site. (Do not submit the article on more than one article directory site.)
- You are trying to get one way links with anchor text primary keywords to your relevant landing page.
- Do not send every article to your home page. Send it to an article or page you have written that has the article and title keywords in the URL. This will then be highly relevant anchor text link, and you will rank easier for that keyword.
- We all want to outsource. But you will get seriously burned if you hire someone who has no idea how to get you one way link building correctly. Hire an extreme SEO expert. Everyone says they are an expert though. It takes more effort for an SEO professional to undo the damage done by uneducated link builders all over the Internet who seriously do not have a clue how to optimize for true, one way link building.
If you have a website, and you would like to help me out by putting my web site link on your home page, it would mean a lot to me.
Or, perhaps you can grab my RSS feed and share my new articles with others when I publish them. Hey, it doesn’t hurt to ask for help, because I enjoy helping others, too.
Keep up on link building, because it is an ongoing effort. Your competition will keep adding more links for your primary keywords, so you have to keep building yours to get higher search engine rankings, too.
10 reasons why websites fail
You’ve taken the time to finally build a website, and now it is
online. Months go by. Maybe you get a few visitors now and
again. Maybe you land on the search engines. Mostly though, it
just sits there. Is the website you paid for pulling its weight?
A website is a tool and can be of significant help to your
business. It can cut a lot of time you put into giving
information to customers. It can answer questions and perform
tasks for you. Find out where websites fail to perform and how
you can figure out where to make it better.
1. Undefined Website Objectives
Some sites try to do way too much at once, or worse, they have
no definable purpose. Many offer no clear objective. A site can
do more than look good and flashy and have your contact
information.
Websites can be informational, storing content and articles
based on a topic. Sites can run eCommerce solutions that help
you with your sales process. It can also generate leads, asking
customers to fill out forms with their information and
interests. It can also be a hybrid site, with mixed purposes,
like offering a free ebook or free access to information
(informational) in return for contact information (lead
generation).
Defining the purpose of your website gives a clear direction to
your customers. Where should customers arrive when they find
your website? Where do you want them to end up? Using a clear
path and clear objectives, you can lead them through your site,
your products, and your information, depending on how you need
to sell your products. Not all products or services can be sold
directly in an eCommerce situation. Maybe you prefer just
getting to know your customer a bit more, and being able to
forward marketing materials, so a lead generation type of site
might be more suitable.
Assign a secondary objective. Maybe after visitors sign up for
free access, or an ebook, they are encourage to ask more by
contacting your sales reps, or perhaps they can make a direct
purchase online. Use a clearly definable call to action. “Email
for more information.” “Click here to sign up.” Tell visitors
where to go.
2. Unidentified Target Audience
Demographics have been used in marketing for generations.
Marketers use the information because it works. Knowing who your
audience is defines the purpose to your website and calls
out those who qualify and would be interested in your products.
Marketing is the one area where discrimination is actually a
good thing! You don’t want to waste the marketing dollars that
draw people to your site who won’t need your products in the
first place.
Get to know who your clients are. Are they male or female? How
old? Where are they located? What do they do for a living?
Habits, income levels, preferences, they can all be discovered
with a quick email, phone call or have your current customers
take surveys and help you figure out what your clients want.
3. Building for the Wrong Audience
Your site can have a purpose and a select audience, but if it
doesn’t appeal to audiences, they tend to go elsewhere. Finding
preferences is only the first step. Once you figure out what
your demographic is, it is time to find out what appeals to
them, and use that to your advantage. It could be something as
simple as site colors and images, to where and how they prefer
to use navigation systems and the type of content presented.
Maybe you need simple content, easy to read and understand for
younger audiences. Perhaps you need something a bit more
technical for professionals. You can even see if you need to add
features for those who are visually impaired. Paying attention
to your demographic and their preferences can mean building your
website around their likes and getting more responses.
4. Oblivious to Web Traffic Sources
A link on a Harry Potter fan club forum to your website can
bring in traffic, but does it really bring in the right
customers? If you’re not directing traffic from sites relevant
to yours or where a matching market exists, you might end up
with empty hits to your website. It looks pretty on stat pages
but it doesn’t really do anything.
Refocus your efforts on search engine optimization and focus on
keywords that do fit, not just what might be popular. You can
plan the sort of traffic you want and focus your outreach
efforts on that. Planning your search engine campaigns can make
them more effective, bringing the right customers to you. You
don’t need 1,000 random visitors a day, when 100 qualified
visitors will do.
5. Underestimating the Competition
Who says you can’t grab ideas from your competition? Find out
what they are lacking and draw customers to your site by adding
more features and information. Your target audience is searching
the web for your product. Don’t let your competition become
more appealing.
Understand your competition by observing their sites. Where are
your competitors linking? Where aren’t they? What designs do
they use on their site? Does your target audience like that type
of design or do they want something better? Figure out how to
improve on your own site and make it better than your
competition.
Come back tomorrow for the next 5.
