An ALT attribute should not be used as a description or a label for an image, though many people use it in that fashion. Though it might seem natural to assume that alternate text is a label or a description, it is not!
The words used within an image’s alt attribute should be its text equivalent and convey the same information or serve the same purpose that the image would.
The goal is to provide the same functional information that a visual user would see. The alt attribute text should function as a "stand in" in the event that the image itself is not available. Ask yourself this question: If you were to replace the image with the text, would most users receive the same basic information, and would it generate the same response?"
Some examples:
If a search button is a magnifying glass or binoculars its alt text should be ’search’ or ’find’ not ’magnifying glass’ or ’binoculars’.
If an image is meant to convey the literal contents of the image, then a description is appropriate.
If it is meant to convey data, then that data is what is appropriate.
If it is meant to convey the use of a function, then the function itself is what should be used.
Some Alt Attribute Guidelines:
Always add alt attributes to images. Alt is mandatory for accessibility and for valid XHTML.
For images that play only a decorative role in the page, use an empty alt (i.e. alt="") or a CSS background image so that reading browsers do not bother users by uttering things like "spacer image".
Remember that it is the function of the image we are trying to convey. For instance; any button images should not include the word "button" in the alt text. They should emphasize the action performed by the button.
Alt text should be determined by context. The same image in a different context may need drastically different alt text.
Try to flow alt text with the rest of the text because that is how it will be read with adaptive technologies like screen readers. Someone listening to your page should hardly be aware that a graphic image is there.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
301 Redirects and Search Engine Optimization
There are multiple reasons to redirect URLs. For one, your web pages may have moved but their old URLs may still live in users' bookmarks or in search engine indexes. Without implementing some sort or redirection, that traffic would be lost to a 404 Error Page.On occasions, you may also want to register several extensions for your domain name : 'mydomain.com', 'mydomain.net' and 'mydomain.org', and have 'mydomain.net' and 'mydomain.org' automatically redirect visitors to your site, hosted under 'mydomain.com'.Furthermore, if your company sells several products, you may want to give each of them an individual domain name, and have it point to a specific subdirectory of your main site. For example, if you own a site called 'businessvideos.com' that sells a product called 'Marketing Made Easy', you may want to set up a domain such as 'marketingmadeeasy.com', and redirect it to subdirectory: www.businessvideos.com/marketingmadeeasy/.
There are several ways to redirect domains, however, most of them will get you in trouble with the search engines. The search engine friendly way to redirect URLs is to use what is know as a 301 redirect (you can see how Google and Yahoo! specifically endorse this kind of redirection). Here is my take about the different redirection methods and their implications on search engine optimization:
Meta-Refresh Javascript Redirect
You can redirect visitors by placing a snippet of javascript code within the HTML code of the page you want to redirect. With this method, you can specify the number of seconds before the visitor is automatically redirected to the new page. Search engines don't like this method, because of the potential for abuse: you could write an optimized page for a non-competitive search term, and then automatically redirect your unsuspecting visitor to whatever URL you want. For example, it could be relatively easy to write a page about english literature, have it indexed and highly ranked by the search engines, and then redirect your visitor to a casino or Viagra site. If search engines allowed this, users would quickly stop trusting them. That is why search engines penalize this practice, and why you should avoid it.
Parked Domains
You could register an additional domain name , park it, and make it point to the DNS servers of your main site's hosting account, so that when somebody types the additional domain, they will be transported to your main site. However, this approach may lead to search engines listing the same content twice, one for your main domain, and one for your additional domain. In the past, unscrupulous webmasters would use multiple domains to spam search engines and directories, making them list the same pages hundreds of times under different domains. Even if your intentions are good, we don't recommend this approach to redirecting your additional domains, since search engines may penalize your site for duplicate content.
302 and 301 Redirects
When a request for a page or URL is made by a browser, agent or spider, the web server where the page is hosted checks a file called '.htaccess'. This file contains instructions on how to handle specific requests and also plays a key role in security. The '.htaccess' file can be modified so that it instructs browsers, agents or spiders that the page has either temporarily moved (302 redirect) or permanently moved (301 redirect). It is usually possible to implement this redirect without messing with the '.htaccess' file directly, using your web host's control panel instead.
From a search engine perspective, 301 redirects are the only acceptable way to redirect URLs. In the case of moved pages, search engines will index only the new URL, but will transfer link popularity from the old URL to the new one so that search engine rankings are not affected. The same behavior occurs when additional domains are set to point to the main domain through a 301 redirect.
The URL Forwarding Feature
Most domain registrars offer a feature called URL Forwarding. With this feature, you can register a new domain, such as 'mydomain.net', and have it point to mydomain.com (or to any other URL). The problem, however, is that registrars usually do this by implementing a 302 redirect (page moved temporarily). While Google handles 302 redirects very well, passing link popularity from the additional domain to the main one, other search engines don't do this well, diluting link popularity by splitting it between the two domains, and negatively affecting rankings. Therefore, it is better not to use this method, and implement a 301 redirect instead.
Redirecting Old URLs
To '301 redirect' an old URL to a new one, just go to your web host's control panel, and choose the "Redirects" option. You can then set up the redirect by filling the blanks. You want to chose redirect option "Permanent" to implement a 301 redirect.
Redirecting additional domains
To 301 redirect an additional domain (like in the case of the .net or the .org version of your domain name), you have to set it up as an add-on domain with your web host (some hosts offer this option for free, and some others charge a small monthly fee per domain). If the additional domain was not registered with your web host, you will first have to go to your domain registrar and change the DNS (domain name servers) to the DNS of your web host (you may have to wait a couple of days before this change becomes functional). Once you've done this, go to your web host's control panel, choose the "Add On Domains" option, and set up your add on domain as follows:
New Domain Name: additionaldomain.com (Do not put any http:// or www)Username/directory/subdomain: additionaldomain (Enter 'additionaldomain' by itself. Do not put any '.com' or 'www')
Password: 123ABC (Enter whatever password you want).
Then, set up the redirection by filling the appropriate box with the URL of the landing page (where you want your traffic to go).
Once your additional domain is redirecting to your landing page, take this one last step to see if everything is working fine: go to a server header checking tool, type your add-on domain in the query box and hit enter. If you get a message similar to this: "Status Code HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently", then your 301 redirect is working.
You can also use 301 redirection for common mispelled versions of your domain name, or for other good domain names that you don't want your competitors to get.
There are several ways to redirect domains, however, most of them will get you in trouble with the search engines. The search engine friendly way to redirect URLs is to use what is know as a 301 redirect (you can see how Google and Yahoo! specifically endorse this kind of redirection). Here is my take about the different redirection methods and their implications on search engine optimization:
Meta-Refresh Javascript Redirect
You can redirect visitors by placing a snippet of javascript code within the HTML code of the page you want to redirect. With this method, you can specify the number of seconds before the visitor is automatically redirected to the new page. Search engines don't like this method, because of the potential for abuse: you could write an optimized page for a non-competitive search term, and then automatically redirect your unsuspecting visitor to whatever URL you want. For example, it could be relatively easy to write a page about english literature, have it indexed and highly ranked by the search engines, and then redirect your visitor to a casino or Viagra site. If search engines allowed this, users would quickly stop trusting them. That is why search engines penalize this practice, and why you should avoid it.
Parked Domains
You could register an additional domain name , park it, and make it point to the DNS servers of your main site's hosting account, so that when somebody types the additional domain, they will be transported to your main site. However, this approach may lead to search engines listing the same content twice, one for your main domain, and one for your additional domain. In the past, unscrupulous webmasters would use multiple domains to spam search engines and directories, making them list the same pages hundreds of times under different domains. Even if your intentions are good, we don't recommend this approach to redirecting your additional domains, since search engines may penalize your site for duplicate content.
302 and 301 Redirects
When a request for a page or URL is made by a browser, agent or spider, the web server where the page is hosted checks a file called '.htaccess'. This file contains instructions on how to handle specific requests and also plays a key role in security. The '.htaccess' file can be modified so that it instructs browsers, agents or spiders that the page has either temporarily moved (302 redirect) or permanently moved (301 redirect). It is usually possible to implement this redirect without messing with the '.htaccess' file directly, using your web host's control panel instead.
From a search engine perspective, 301 redirects are the only acceptable way to redirect URLs. In the case of moved pages, search engines will index only the new URL, but will transfer link popularity from the old URL to the new one so that search engine rankings are not affected. The same behavior occurs when additional domains are set to point to the main domain through a 301 redirect.
The URL Forwarding Feature
Most domain registrars offer a feature called URL Forwarding. With this feature, you can register a new domain, such as 'mydomain.net', and have it point to mydomain.com (or to any other URL). The problem, however, is that registrars usually do this by implementing a 302 redirect (page moved temporarily). While Google handles 302 redirects very well, passing link popularity from the additional domain to the main one, other search engines don't do this well, diluting link popularity by splitting it between the two domains, and negatively affecting rankings. Therefore, it is better not to use this method, and implement a 301 redirect instead.
Redirecting Old URLs
To '301 redirect' an old URL to a new one, just go to your web host's control panel, and choose the "Redirects" option. You can then set up the redirect by filling the blanks. You want to chose redirect option "Permanent" to implement a 301 redirect.
Redirecting additional domains
To 301 redirect an additional domain (like in the case of the .net or the .org version of your domain name), you have to set it up as an add-on domain with your web host (some hosts offer this option for free, and some others charge a small monthly fee per domain). If the additional domain was not registered with your web host, you will first have to go to your domain registrar and change the DNS (domain name servers) to the DNS of your web host (you may have to wait a couple of days before this change becomes functional). Once you've done this, go to your web host's control panel, choose the "Add On Domains" option, and set up your add on domain as follows:
New Domain Name: additionaldomain.com (Do not put any http:// or www)Username/directory/subdomain: additionaldomain (Enter 'additionaldomain' by itself. Do not put any '.com' or 'www')
Password: 123ABC (Enter whatever password you want).
Then, set up the redirection by filling the appropriate box with the URL of the landing page (where you want your traffic to go).
Once your additional domain is redirecting to your landing page, take this one last step to see if everything is working fine: go to a server header checking tool, type your add-on domain in the query box and hit enter. If you get a message similar to this: "Status Code HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently", then your 301 redirect is working.
You can also use 301 redirection for common mispelled versions of your domain name, or for other good domain names that you don't want your competitors to get.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Social Media Marketing Tip
To successfully leverage your social media for online marketing you need to really be active in your communities, ergo is best to have power accounts on a few social media sites rather then trying to manage many of them across multiple networks. Find your niche.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Conversational Marketing
It's a good idea to use conversational marketing in order to create a viral buzz online regarding your brand. Join as many forums as you can adequately sustain as a quality contributor. Getting to know who the industry voice is for your niche and posting comments on their blogs gets your name out into the market as a knowledgeable source. It's also a great idea to market yourself by adding a blog. Blogs are not only a great way to get information about your product or brand out into the market, they are great for SEO purposes since they are normally filled with quality keywords.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Selecting a Quality Domain Name
When you're ready to launch your web site and you're trying to select a good domain name, there are many factors that need to be taken into consideration.
Select a Domain Name that Reflects Your Web Site
Above all else, your domain name should reflect what your web site is all about. For example, if your web site is about grooming a dog, you certainly wouldn't want to select a domain name like 'mybusinessname.com,' as this would have nothing to do with your web site's focus. You would want to select a domain name that tells the world what your web site is all about -- something like 'doggrooming.com.'
Select a Domain Name that Contains Your Web Site's Keywords
Another consideration of great importance are your keywords. Try to select a domain name that contains your most relevant keyword phrase, as some Search Engines place relevancy on them. A keyword phrase is two or more words that best describe your web page. If your web page is focusing on grooming a dog, your best keyword phrase will be "dog grooming."
Select a Domain Name that will be Easily Remembered
With millions of web sites accessible on the Internet, it is also very important to select a domain name that will be easily remembered. As in the 'doggrooming.com' example above, 'doggrooming.com' is very easily remembered, contains the most relevant keyword phrase and describes the web site in explicit detail. It is the 'perfect' domain name for this particular web site.
Select the Best Domain Extension
Another consideration of importance is the domain name extension. Although there are many new domain extensions available, dotcom is still the best choice. When typing in a web address, Internet users automatically want to type in a .com extension, as this is the extension that has been embedded into our brains from the start.
Avoid Using Numbers in Your Domain Name
Although you may be tempted to do so, avoid using numbers within your domain name. Including a number within your domain name can cause problems, as when you tell someone your web address, you will continually have to tell them it's a number and not the word. For example, if you selected a domain name like number1host.com, if you were to tell someone your web address, they may try to type it as 'numberonehost.com' instead of 'number1host.com.' This type of domain name would cause confusion.
Avoid using Abbreviations within Your Domain Name
Although well-known companies, such as IBM, can get away with using abbreviations within their domain name, most companies can't. As a rule, try to avoid using abbreviations or anything that will be difficult for your visitors to remember. Not only will this cause confusion, but it can also cause your potential visitors to make spelling mistakes when trying to type in your web address.
Avoid using Long Domain Names
Although you may now register long domain names, it's really not a good idea. Try to keep your domain name as short as possible. The longer the domain name the harder it is to remember and the more apt your potential visitors are to make a typo when typing it into their browser.
Select a Domain Name that Reflects Your Web Site
Above all else, your domain name should reflect what your web site is all about. For example, if your web site is about grooming a dog, you certainly wouldn't want to select a domain name like 'mybusinessname.com,' as this would have nothing to do with your web site's focus. You would want to select a domain name that tells the world what your web site is all about -- something like 'doggrooming.com.'
Select a Domain Name that Contains Your Web Site's Keywords
Another consideration of great importance are your keywords. Try to select a domain name that contains your most relevant keyword phrase, as some Search Engines place relevancy on them. A keyword phrase is two or more words that best describe your web page. If your web page is focusing on grooming a dog, your best keyword phrase will be "dog grooming."
Select a Domain Name that will be Easily Remembered
With millions of web sites accessible on the Internet, it is also very important to select a domain name that will be easily remembered. As in the 'doggrooming.com' example above, 'doggrooming.com' is very easily remembered, contains the most relevant keyword phrase and describes the web site in explicit detail. It is the 'perfect' domain name for this particular web site.
Select the Best Domain Extension
Another consideration of importance is the domain name extension. Although there are many new domain extensions available, dotcom is still the best choice. When typing in a web address, Internet users automatically want to type in a .com extension, as this is the extension that has been embedded into our brains from the start.
Avoid Using Numbers in Your Domain Name
Although you may be tempted to do so, avoid using numbers within your domain name. Including a number within your domain name can cause problems, as when you tell someone your web address, you will continually have to tell them it's a number and not the word. For example, if you selected a domain name like number1host.com, if you were to tell someone your web address, they may try to type it as 'numberonehost.com' instead of 'number1host.com.' This type of domain name would cause confusion.
Avoid using Abbreviations within Your Domain Name
Although well-known companies, such as IBM, can get away with using abbreviations within their domain name, most companies can't. As a rule, try to avoid using abbreviations or anything that will be difficult for your visitors to remember. Not only will this cause confusion, but it can also cause your potential visitors to make spelling mistakes when trying to type in your web address.
Avoid using Long Domain Names
Although you may now register long domain names, it's really not a good idea. Try to keep your domain name as short as possible. The longer the domain name the harder it is to remember and the more apt your potential visitors are to make a typo when typing it into their browser.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Some valuable tips on creative website design
Tip 1 – Website is a medium to communicate with prospective clients, thus professional designers have to keep this particular point in mind. Make the website more communicable so that visitors can easily communicate with the owner. It may be through a live chat facility, or by placing a short contact form into every important page so that people can easily contact the business owner.
Tip 2 – An effective eye-catching logo can easily grab the attention of the visitor. Nowadays, through web 2 design style, giant sized, colorful eye-catching logos can add more appeal to the websites to impress the web traffic.
Tip 3 – The next most powerful weapon that can be used in your website to attract the audience should be the uniquely design icons. Meaningful unique icons (apart from other traditional icons) in your website will easily attract the web traffic. This will also help you to gain more business through that website.
Tip 4 – Use easy readable fonts while placing the content at your web page. Allow the web designer to choose the font for your website. Nowadays web designers place different fonts to announce different segments of your content (Like main content, special offers, website new etc).
Tip 5 – Text size is equally important. Sometimes it is often observed that website designers try to highlight the design in particular. They seem to ignore the value of the content. Thus don't let your content text size to be too small which may affect the readability factor.
Tip 6 – Image placement is another very tough task. In a recent review it was found that 90% of web traffic travel through links and images. Thus placing proper meaningful images at your website to impress the incoming visitor is indeed a very crucial task.
Tip 7 – Link the images with important pages so that you can smartly push the audience to travel to your website. Professional website designers have the ability to take the responsibility to bring out the best output from here.
Tip 8 – Suppose your website has some special promotional offers and you wish to focus them towards your web traffic, through Web 2 Design style web designers can place glowing colorful boxes for special announcements which would easily attract visitors.
Tip 9 – Use of polite background colors throughout your website is another important responsibility. Web designers refrain from using too many bright colors within a website template. Colors play the emotional role in audience's mind. Choose the colors smartly while designing a web template, so that the visitor is attracted to your website.
Tip 10 - Usability of any website template determine the flow of web traffic from your index page to other important pages. If your website has steady navigation and if the website seems as easy-to-use then visitors would travel your entire website and gather their required information from your website.
Tip 2 – An effective eye-catching logo can easily grab the attention of the visitor. Nowadays, through web 2 design style, giant sized, colorful eye-catching logos can add more appeal to the websites to impress the web traffic.
Tip 3 – The next most powerful weapon that can be used in your website to attract the audience should be the uniquely design icons. Meaningful unique icons (apart from other traditional icons) in your website will easily attract the web traffic. This will also help you to gain more business through that website.
Tip 4 – Use easy readable fonts while placing the content at your web page. Allow the web designer to choose the font for your website. Nowadays web designers place different fonts to announce different segments of your content (Like main content, special offers, website new etc).
Tip 5 – Text size is equally important. Sometimes it is often observed that website designers try to highlight the design in particular. They seem to ignore the value of the content. Thus don't let your content text size to be too small which may affect the readability factor.
Tip 6 – Image placement is another very tough task. In a recent review it was found that 90% of web traffic travel through links and images. Thus placing proper meaningful images at your website to impress the incoming visitor is indeed a very crucial task.
Tip 7 – Link the images with important pages so that you can smartly push the audience to travel to your website. Professional website designers have the ability to take the responsibility to bring out the best output from here.
Tip 8 – Suppose your website has some special promotional offers and you wish to focus them towards your web traffic, through Web 2 Design style web designers can place glowing colorful boxes for special announcements which would easily attract visitors.
Tip 9 – Use of polite background colors throughout your website is another important responsibility. Web designers refrain from using too many bright colors within a website template. Colors play the emotional role in audience's mind. Choose the colors smartly while designing a web template, so that the visitor is attracted to your website.
Tip 10 - Usability of any website template determine the flow of web traffic from your index page to other important pages. If your website has steady navigation and if the website seems as easy-to-use then visitors would travel your entire website and gather their required information from your website.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Crucial Email Marketing Tips
Focus on One Message
If you’re sending non-newsletter email blasts, stick to one primary message for each email sent out. The more information you pack into an email, the higher the chance the recipient’s eyes will glaze over and they’ll reach for delete. Keep it to one focus point and put it right in the subject and first lines of the message to make it easier for those just skimming to absorb your message.
Email newsletters are expected to provide bits and pieces of several messages, so this tip doesn’t really apply to newsletters. But you should still keep your newsletter blurbs short and to the point, making the information easy to grasp.
Customize Your Message
Use the recipient’s name in your message whenever possible. Something as simple as customizing the email in this way can make the recipient more likely to read through and act on your message.
Include a Call to Action
Each email you send should spell out exactly what you want the recipient to do. Make links obvious and call attention to any special directions you are providing. And it’s okay to be repetitive when it comes to the call to action – include it toward the top of the message and mention it again at the end.
Use a Template
Instead of sending out a generic email, take time to customize your template to reflect the colors, fonts and other branding elements of your business. Using the same email template for your messages will help the recipient recognize your company and generate feelings of trust.
You’ll also want to provide a plain text version that contains the same message but is stripped of all special formatting for recipients using email clients that cannot view messages in HTML. And don’t forget to test out your final template in multiple email clients to make sure it looks how you want it to across the board.
Watch Your Stats
Most email marketing services provide campaign statistics so you can monitor the number of opens, clicks, bounces and unsubscribes. As you get started with email marketing, try a few different formats and link placements and then compare the stats to gauge your success.
And don’t be so quick to unsubscribe bounced addresses. An email can bounce for any number of reasons, and it’s best to wait to see if the address bounces more than once before scrubbing it from your list.
What email marketing tips have you learned from your experience that you would add to this list?
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Email etiquette for online business
As a Webmaster, online business owner or even as a part of your normal job, email is a vital line of communication with your visitors, clients and associates.
Your approach to email communications can mean the difference between your web sites' success or failure. Every email you send should be considered as an exercise in marketing.
As your site grows, be prepared for the influx of email. It will take up hours of your time, but the benefits of dealing with enquiries courteously and efficiently are great.
As the pace of email flow picks up, you'll probably also notice that the level of spam will also increase. How many legitimate emails have you accidentally deleted by confusing them with spam? Now think of the other end of the equation - are people perhaps deleting your emails thinking that they are the same?
How do you like to be addressed when people write to you? Do you address the people you write to with the same level of respect and courtesy?
The following tips can help you in honing your email communications skills:
- Remember that whatever you send can be forwarded to others, so anything you do send can easily become public knowledge. An email disclaimer can give you low level protection against this occurring, but it won't stop it.
The forging of email addresses by spammers and viruses is becoming increasingly prevalent. You should not necessarily assume that a message is valid.
Be careful with viewing attachments, as this is a popular means of transmitting computer viruses. If you have a virus scanner installed, right clicking on the attachment should present a menu option to scan the item. If this option does not exist, save the attachment to the hard drive and scan it from within the anti-virus program before opening it. Switch off the preview window in your mail application as many viruses can execute if this function is left on.- Respect the copyright on material that you reproduce. Cite all references, quotes and sources used. Plagiarism applies to e-mail messages as much as other documents.
- Do not give another person access to your e-mail account as you will be held responsible for anything they may transmit.
- If you are forwarding a message you've received, do not change the wording. If you are replying to a message, only quote the relevant parts of the original message (i.e. enough to put your reply in context). Do not include the whole message.
- E-mail lacks the advantages of body language and intonation, which are present in face-to-face communications. Take care with sarcasm and humor. You may inadvertently put the wrong message across.
- If you know the persons' name - use it. Launching straight into the subject of the email can be perceived as being arrogant. The common practice of not using some sort of opening salutation is also quite rude e.g. just "Fred" instead of "Hello Fred" or "Dear Fred". Your mother was right; good manners cost nothing, so use them ;).
- Remember that once a message is sent, it cannot be recalled, so take care with responding in the "heat of the moment". If you are angry when typing an email, it can be placed in the drafts folder for later review.
- Use mixed case. UPPER CASE LETTERS ALONE ARE CONSIDERED "SHOUTING". Use upper case only for emphasis.
- Email messages should have a subject line which is to the point regarding the message contents. The practice of leaving the subject line blank is especially annoying to those people who receive large quantities of email as they often prioritize according to subject.
- Tagging an email message using the "High Importance" features available in some email programs should never be done unless the message is really urgent. Some people mark all their messages with this tag thinking that it will get attention. It does the first couple of times, but then their messages are generally ignored or deleted.
- If you include a signature keep it short - no longer than 4-5 lines. Always ensure that your name is included in your subject line - people want to know who is communicating with them, not just sigs like "Customer Support Team" or equivalent. If you are that worried about your privacy, then you shouldn't be online. At least include your first name, it's just basic courtesy.
- When sending attached files such as spreadsheets or word processed documents, use a version which is likely to be supported by the recipient. Save Word files in the Word 6.0/95 format and Excel files in the Excel 5.0 format, unless you know the software application the recipient is using supports your file formats. Many people still use dialup Internet access and may have bandwidth caps, so it's considered good manners to ask for permission before sending large attachments. Your 5 megabyte funny picture may clog the persons' mailbox and prevent other more important messages from being retrieved before it is downloaded. There are better ways to send large files.
- When sending emails to multiple names, ensure that distribution lists are used responsibly in that the message is sent only to the necessary people. Sending a large attachment to 100 addresses unnecessarily could cause problems with your mail server.
- When sending email to multiple addresses, and the people on the list do not know each other, respect their privacy by putting the list of names in the Bcc (Blind carbon copy) field. This ensures that each person receiving the email will only see their name and not the whole list.
- Read and respond to your e-mail regularly. The immediacy of e-mail is lost if it sits unnoticed in your mailbox for long periods.
- Delete unwanted messages on a daily basis from your mailbox . This will also help prevent important emails being deleted accidentally.
- Save your important messages to a special folder to keep a record - emails are legal documents.
- Using specialized stationary may look great to you, but it can be a real pain in the neck to others with increased download times and compatibility issues. The safest bet for general email communications is still to use plain text messages.
- Just because someone appears arrogant in a communication to you, it doesn't mean that you should reflect the tone. Always maintain a professional approach - it may be that the person writing to you is not overly familiar with the English language, has general literacy problems or is just having a *really* bad day. A friendly note back can often change their entire attitude. Even if the person continues to be unreasonable, you can terminate ongoing communications in a professional way.
- When writing an email, put yourself in the recipients position and estimate their level of knowledge, taking into account what you know about the person. If you know nothing about them, ensure that you are clear and concise. The simpler the better, without being patronizing.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Make Mistakes While Nobody is Watching
A website test can often involve a lot of people, IT staff, Designers, Content Owners, etc. While the technicals are fairly straight-forward, the process involved to get everyone working together can be really hard. And people *will* make mistakes.
Are you going to wait to make those mistakes while everyone is focused on you for that massive Home Page test that you just barely got approval to run after months of trying ??
Why not make those mistakes before anyone cares?
Start with a test page. Have your designer create alternate content for it, your IT staff put in the code, etc. This gives you an opportunity to talk to everyone about what you’re doing and where you’re going and why it is in their best interest to get the kinks worked out beforehand. It’s not a real page on the site so if the code is put in wrong, it’s no big deal — noone cares.
Move on to an actual page on the website that is not important to anyone. This is a slightly bigger deal than the test page, but if you screw it up, noone will probably notice. Just test something minor that noone will notice. Decide on a conversion page and look at real data. Try presenting the results.
This practice is beneficial to everyone involved, so that when the real test comes around, you’ve already made your mistakes, and hopefully, worked them out. Remember that the point of the practice is to work out the process and make sure everyone looks good when it is time to do the real first test.
Are you going to wait to make those mistakes while everyone is focused on you for that massive Home Page test that you just barely got approval to run after months of trying ??
Why not make those mistakes before anyone cares?
Start with a test page. Have your designer create alternate content for it, your IT staff put in the code, etc. This gives you an opportunity to talk to everyone about what you’re doing and where you’re going and why it is in their best interest to get the kinks worked out beforehand. It’s not a real page on the site so if the code is put in wrong, it’s no big deal — noone cares.
Move on to an actual page on the website that is not important to anyone. This is a slightly bigger deal than the test page, but if you screw it up, noone will probably notice. Just test something minor that noone will notice. Decide on a conversion page and look at real data. Try presenting the results.
This practice is beneficial to everyone involved, so that when the real test comes around, you’ve already made your mistakes, and hopefully, worked them out. Remember that the point of the practice is to work out the process and make sure everyone looks good when it is time to do the real first test.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Indexed Flash - Is It Good Or Bad?
With both Google and Yahoo developing methods of successfully indexing flash, we will see the birth of search engine friendly flash web sites. You can already preform a flash search on google but they do not rank highly in general searches, even if they are extremely relevant.
To perform a flash search in Google just add a .swf extension to your search, You will then see that the results returned display [flash] in front of them. The returned results are not brilliant but I guess it is still under development.
Now lets talk search engine optimization. Is it a positive thing that Search Engines can index your flash? And does the indexing just happen with static text or can dynamic text be read? One main concern it that you can pretty much say what you wish in flash files and it will have no bearing on your SEO. But what about if you have information that might cause conflict with your optimisation?
What i mean by this is that the content of your site might be aimed towards a certain phrase, but you still want to mention a different service on your flash, will this water down your seo? Will it effect your ranking? Most probably not, As most optimizers know the current algorithm focuses various aspects of a site meaning a slight addition piece of text will not effect a listing.
To perform a flash search in Google just add a .swf extension to your search, You will then see that the results returned display [flash] in front of them. The returned results are not brilliant but I guess it is still under development.
Now lets talk search engine optimization. Is it a positive thing that Search Engines can index your flash? And does the indexing just happen with static text or can dynamic text be read? One main concern it that you can pretty much say what you wish in flash files and it will have no bearing on your SEO. But what about if you have information that might cause conflict with your optimisation?
What i mean by this is that the content of your site might be aimed towards a certain phrase, but you still want to mention a different service on your flash, will this water down your seo? Will it effect your ranking? Most probably not, As most optimizers know the current algorithm focuses various aspects of a site meaning a slight addition piece of text will not effect a listing.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Writing for your Social Media Profiles
Write in the first person.
On your website, bios can be in the third person (and probably should be unless you’re a one-person shop), but on social media profiles, it’s supposed to be you writing about yourself. If you have an assistant do it, that’s just a technicality – the profile should still be written in first person singular.
Be personable.
Everyone has their own limits as to just how much personal information they want to disclose, but that’s not what I’m talking about here. What I am referring to is to write your profiles in a conversational style. This isn’t your formal resume, even on LinkedIn. This is potentially your first conversation with somebody. If you are upbeat and engaging, people are more likely to want to connect with you than if your profile is just a list of facts with no personal context. Check your spelling, of course, but don’t feel bound by the writing rules you learned in school – write it like you would say it if you were talking to them in person.
Tell what you have to give, not just what you have to sell.
What expertise do you have that you are willing to freely share (business-related or not)? Are you willing to meet people in person? Review people’s web sites? Make introductions within a particular industry? Let people know.
On your website, bios can be in the third person (and probably should be unless you’re a one-person shop), but on social media profiles, it’s supposed to be you writing about yourself. If you have an assistant do it, that’s just a technicality – the profile should still be written in first person singular.
Be personable.
Everyone has their own limits as to just how much personal information they want to disclose, but that’s not what I’m talking about here. What I am referring to is to write your profiles in a conversational style. This isn’t your formal resume, even on LinkedIn. This is potentially your first conversation with somebody. If you are upbeat and engaging, people are more likely to want to connect with you than if your profile is just a list of facts with no personal context. Check your spelling, of course, but don’t feel bound by the writing rules you learned in school – write it like you would say it if you were talking to them in person.
Tell what you have to give, not just what you have to sell.
What expertise do you have that you are willing to freely share (business-related or not)? Are you willing to meet people in person? Review people’s web sites? Make introductions within a particular industry? Let people know.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
10 Easy Steps to Creating Headlines People Will Read
Learn how to make your marketing headlines shine with these 10 simple steps.
Do your headlines lack “oomph”?
Headlines are what motivate a reader to look at the rest of the copy. Thus, headlines demand more attention and more energy than other forms of print copy.
So what do profitable headlines look like? They grab the reader’s attention, fix a problem or deliver them something they desire. Here are some tips for building headlines that work:
1. Give them a number
Just as I did here. A number represents a clear message that will be easy to read and easy to follow.
2. Motivate to take action
Give them a call to action and give a sense of urgency.
Examples:
Don’t Miss Out! Call Now!I’ll Only Help 100, So Act Now!
3. Speak to their emotions
Emotions alone can persuade someone to take out their credit card. If you’re headline is strong enough, it will lead them to read more, which will hopefully ultimately lead to the “I really want that!”
Examples:
Make Memories to Last a LifetimeHow to Make a Difference in Your Community
4. Minimize risk
This is giving them the encouragement to give you a try, while also overcoming possible objections they may have.
Examples:
No Obligation to Try!We’ll Buy it Back From You if You’re Not Satisfied!
5. Tell them the benefit
Readers need to notice your headline to begin with, and then they will want to know what’s in it for them. Being clear about the advantage should get that point across.
Examples:
How to Double Your Site Traffic Now!How You Can Make Real Money in the Stock Market
6. Be the fixer-upper
We all have things we would like to change about ourselves or have things we would like to have. Show readers in the headline you are here to provide the solution.
Examples:
Drive a Car YOU Can Be Proud OfIt’s Time You Took the Vacation You Deserve
Pointing out what their problem or fault is can be another effective way of using this technique.
Examples:
Get Rid of Bad Skin Once and For All Stop Worrying About Your House Not Being Secure
7. Tell them a secret
We are all naturally curious and want to know something others may not know.
Examples:
The Secrets to Selling SuccessLearn the Secrets of Looking Younger
8. Give away a freebie
It will need to be of value to the customer of course, but offering something free will give them the opportunity to see what you’re all about.
Examples:
Act Now and Get Our Free Report!Free Guide on How to Be Promoted in 30 Days
9. Speak in their language
Avoid using jargon. You want to keep it simple and use words your customer will understand. If a word would need to be explained to most people, delete it.
Examples:
What Everyone Should Know About Setting Up a WebsiteSell Your Stocks While the Time is Right
10. Don’t forget spell-check!
No matter how many spelling bees you won as a kid, do yourself a favor and don’t forgo using spell-check. I once saw a sign on a shop that said, “Bussiness For Sale.” Although a different form of marketing, the question remains the same: would you buy from him?
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Ways To Get Customers' E-mail Addresses
If you're like most small-business owners, you need a generous supply of potential customers' names and e-mail addresses to effectively market your offerings online.
The good news is you don't have to deceive or spam people into getting them. The bad news is that too many others have already taken that route, giving online marketing a shady reputation.
Unlike the offline world, where consumers get junk mail daily and simply toss it into the recycling bin, unwanted e-mail messages offend people and trigger nasty
replies. People are more protective than ever of their e-mail addresses.
"Spammers have made it bad for the rest of us," says Derek Scruggs, founder of Escalan.com, a Boulder, Colo.-based marketing consultant. So you shouldn't be one yourself; there are enough already out there.
Scruggs is an expert on permission-based e-mail marketing, and has written a separate article for Microsoft Small Business, "10 rules for successful permission-based e-mail marketing," which I refer to in this article. (See link under "Related Articles.")
So, after following Scruggs' permission-based rules, how do you build your database of names and e-mail addresses? Here are seven tips to consider:
Why not just tell customers what you want? In return, "offer something of value, earn their trust, and build the relationship," says Jeffrey Graham, vice president at Dynamic Logic, a New York-based online research company. The offers could include free tips and advice, news alerts, newsletters and/or new product information. Be creative, but allow people to opt-out of these e-mails anytime they want.Two online retailers that follow this strategy effectively are Health4her.com and BabyCenter.com. The latter site asks prospective mothers simply for their e-mail address and the date their baby is due. With that information, BabyCenter.com is ready to roll — it can offer pregnancy and child-rearing tips as well as cribs, car seats
and other products up until long after the baby is born.Similarly, Health4her.com, which sells health and beauty products for women, can directly reach the consumers who want to be reached, with recipes, health and beauty tips and special product offers. "It has been very successful; we get from 2% to 4% of those visiting our site to sign up," says Louis Jay, Health4her.com president. Putting a sign-up box on your home page, he says, "should be the first thing on anybody's mind when they start an online business."
Make your promotions
and special offers worth the click. Contests for cash prizes or free trips will always attract lots of sign-ups, whether the offers are made through banner or e-mail newsletter ads. Make the offers worth the trouble. Yet also know that the jury is still out on the effectiveness of this strategy, because those signing up are often not long-term customers. Still, an incentive-based offer is a way to gather hundreds of names and e-mail addresses, which are especially viable if your site is frequented primarily by your target customers -- such as adult
women for Health4her.com. "We give them a chance to win something, like a free cruise," Jay says. "It's a way to gather names and build relationships."
If you rent lists of consumer names, be forthright about it.
I am talking here about marketing or industry lists where consumers have given their consent -- not the many other lists of names obtained deceptively or without the consumer's permission. Scruggs discourages buying even the opted-in lists in his e-marketing rules, though many other online marketers don't. That's because the potential for spamming still exists. Not every consumer who agreed to sign up for the particular list you bought will remember doing so, and certainly won't know where or how far his or her name is being spread. Complaints are all but guaranteed.If you abide by this risky practice, make sure you indicate in your e-mails that you obtained a consumer's name from a complementary list and that you offer products and services you believe he or she would want to know about. "If you are not upfront with them about why they are getting your message, you're going to have a bad relationship," Scruggs says. One other note: The effectiveness of obtaining customers this way is also dubious. Your homegrown lists are a more solid investment, says Graham.
Put ads and links in specialized e-mail newsletters.
What newsletters reach the audience your business wants to reach? By targeting your ads and promotions in specialized e-mail newsletters, you may get more promising sign-ups. "It builds credibility for you and your business," says Debbie Weil, a Washington, D.C.-based e-mail marketing consultant.
Article taken from here.
Importance of Outbound Links
You probably spend a lot of time collecting links from other sites. If not, you should be! Those inbound links are important because they affect your site's search engine rank and bring in new human visitors.
However, you shouldn't ignore the importance of your site's outbound links. A number of quality outbound links from a Web page can also increase search rank because they indicate that the site is an "authority" on a particular topic.
Links To Internal Pages
Outbound links can link to pages within your site (think navigation!) or to external Web sites.
Linking to different pages or sections within the same site is often referred to as "cross linking" and we'll use that term here to differentiate between outbound links to pages within the same site and outbound links that go to different Web sites entirely.
It's a good idea to include the main navigation menu on every page except very specific pages like shopping cart checkout pages. The navigation menu helps keep the visitor oriented and maintains a consistent look and feel throughout the site.
But a navigation menu is just one way to crosslink pages in your site. Other methods include:
- Alternate text links at the bottom of every page. These are necessary if your navigation menu is image-based or designed using JavaScript or Flash. They're also useful on pages that contain a lot of content because visitors can select a different page without scrolling back up to the main menu.
- Text links within page content. These allow visitors to immediately get more information about the particular subject. Make sure the links stand out from surrounding content: use CSS to highlight links if you decide to remove the underlining. Also include a TITLE attribute to further describe the link's destination.
- Obvious link to your site map. On very large or complex sites, a text-based site map is a great way for visitors to find what they're looking for. Search engine spiders love site maps too because they make site indexing easier.
Your goal with all these cross links is to give visitors a sense of what's available on the site and help them access content quickly. It's akin to placing large traffic signs at a busy intersection. People can see all their options and easily select the best route to their destination.
When search engine spiders travel through your site, they also like these intersection pages and tend to rank pages higher if they contain a large number of both inbound and outbound links. Every page should always contain links to your most important site sections and pages.
External Outbound Links
Some webmasters cluster all their external links on a single page?and with good reason. You think: "I have a visitor happily cruising through my site content. Why would I include a link that sends him away?"
You don't want to do that of course! But there are ways to keep your site up in visitors' browsers even while they look at your external links:
Use the TARGET attribute to open the link inside a new browser window. The syntax is simple:
External Link
Get more information about the TARGET attribute in our February 2001 Webmaster Tip: "Hit the Right TARGET With Your Links."- Use JavaScript to open a new window. This isn't as reliable as a basic HTML link because many people now use pop-up blockers. JavaScript also causes problems with some assistive technologies like screen readers, so your page could have accessibility issues.
Get more information about how to use JavaScript to open and customize browser windows in our April 2001 Webmaster Tip: Put Your Window Where You Want It.
It's important to remember that relevant external links don't really send visitors away; instead the give visitors access to valuable information. The best reason to include external links is because they contain content that enhances your own site's content.
For instance, imagine you have a specific page whose text content highlights the cat shows where your award-winning Maine Coon cats have received recognition. You'd want to link to the Web sites of those cat shows and also to any news articles about those shows. That does send visitors away from your site, but they're getting more information about your business. That external content validates your information, increases the perceived trustworthiness of your business, and helps turns visitors into customers.
If you buried those links on a "Links" page, then comparatively few visitors would find them and wouldn't view them in context if they did. You'd lose the opportunity to highlight your cattery's prominent place among professional breeders.
In addition, when you give an external site a prominent link, the site is more likely to reciprocate?even if it's a larger, more popular site than yours. It's a technique that helps your visitors, the sites you link to, and your own link popularity and search engine rank.
Avoid Broken Internal Or External Links!
Broken links frustrate visitors and make your site look unprofessional. Keeping track of external links can be pretty difficult because most webmasters don't think to check their backlinks and notify linking sites when page addresses change.
Monday, September 28, 2009
First Step SEO Tips for Bloggers
Much has been written on the topic of search engine optimization for bloggers - but let me give you a few basic first steps:
1. Content is King
The quality of the posts you write is the single most important factor when it comes to Search Optimization on a Blog. I suspect others will argue differently but as I look at my own blogs success in the search engines I’d say that this has been the number one factor.
Quality content that helps people will quite often draw a reader to want to share what they’ve written - of course they do this by passing on the link to your post and often they’ll do it in a way that helps your search rankings (on their own blog for example).
2. Anticipate What People Will be Searching For
Every time you write a post you should be automatically be considering what words people might be putting into search engines to find that type of information. Once you know what kinds of words they’re using you’re in a great position to position yourself for that search.
3. Titles Titles Titles
There are a number of things to keep in mind when it comes to titles. Google pays particular attention to titles - so make sure you get them right:
first make sure that the way you set your blog up puts the title of your post in the ‘title tags’ on the back end of your blog. This is really important.
if you’re just looking from an SEO perspective don’t include your blog name in the title tags of single posts. This dilutes your keywords. Of course if you’re looking more at branding including your blog’s name in the title tags might be worth doing.
next - include the keywords that you identified in point #2 in your post title
also, keep in mind that the words you use at the start of a title tend to carry more weight than words you use later in your title.
4. Keywords in other parts of your post
Use the keywords you identified in point #2 within your post also. If you want Google to rank you for a term or phrase you need to use that term or phrase. Use it in sub headings in your post (use h tags where you can), use it in the content itself, use the words in the alt tags of images etc. Don’t go over the topic but do use the words where you can naturally in the post.
5. Link to Your Own Posts
Don’t over do this one but while links from other sites are a great way to increase your blog’s rankings so are links from your blog. Interlink your posts to share where readers can find more information on your topic (where relevant) but also consider linking to key posts on your blog from other places on the blog (sidebar, front page etc).
6. Links from Outside Your Blog
Links from other sites to yours are key in SEO but they can be hard to get. Start to linking to your blog from other sites that you have or are active on. Some (like on Twitter) won’t count for anything much as they have no-follow tags but they are all potential ways for people to access your site and some will help with SEO.
Don’t become obsessed with getting links - rather become obsessed about writing great content and the links will generally come in time. However if you’ve written a great post that you think will be relevant to another blog don’t be afraid to let that blogger or website owner know about it - they could just link up.
Also - take note of the type of posts that you write that do well at getting other sites to link to you. You can learn a lot about generating linkable content by doing so and might just develop a technique that will work again and again.
7. Plugins
I don’t tend to do much to the back end of my blog to alter things like meta tags - but there are some good plugins around if you’re using WordPress that can help with some of this and that may give you a small edge. Check out 9 SEO plugins that every WordPress Blog Should have for some suggestions on this.
8. Readers Begat Readers
This isn’t an SEO technique as such but it plays a part. The more readers you have the more likely your blog is to be found by other readers. There’s a certain ’snowballing’ thing that happens on a site over time - as you get readers quite often momentum grows as those readers pass on your site to others in their network. They link to you, they bookmark you, they tweet about you, they email friends about you, they blog about you, they suggest your site in recommendation engines….
Not all of this counts with SEO but some does and the accumulation of it over time all certainly helps to grow both organic and search traffic. I guess what I’m saying is to get readers any way you can - don’t just focus upon ‘SEO’ as such. It all counts.
1. Content is King
The quality of the posts you write is the single most important factor when it comes to Search Optimization on a Blog. I suspect others will argue differently but as I look at my own blogs success in the search engines I’d say that this has been the number one factor.
Quality content that helps people will quite often draw a reader to want to share what they’ve written - of course they do this by passing on the link to your post and often they’ll do it in a way that helps your search rankings (on their own blog for example).
2. Anticipate What People Will be Searching For
Every time you write a post you should be automatically be considering what words people might be putting into search engines to find that type of information. Once you know what kinds of words they’re using you’re in a great position to position yourself for that search.
3. Titles Titles Titles
There are a number of things to keep in mind when it comes to titles. Google pays particular attention to titles - so make sure you get them right:
first make sure that the way you set your blog up puts the title of your post in the ‘title tags’ on the back end of your blog. This is really important.
if you’re just looking from an SEO perspective don’t include your blog name in the title tags of single posts. This dilutes your keywords. Of course if you’re looking more at branding including your blog’s name in the title tags might be worth doing.
next - include the keywords that you identified in point #2 in your post title
also, keep in mind that the words you use at the start of a title tend to carry more weight than words you use later in your title.
4. Keywords in other parts of your post
Use the keywords you identified in point #2 within your post also. If you want Google to rank you for a term or phrase you need to use that term or phrase. Use it in sub headings in your post (use h tags where you can), use it in the content itself, use the words in the alt tags of images etc. Don’t go over the topic but do use the words where you can naturally in the post.
5. Link to Your Own Posts
Don’t over do this one but while links from other sites are a great way to increase your blog’s rankings so are links from your blog. Interlink your posts to share where readers can find more information on your topic (where relevant) but also consider linking to key posts on your blog from other places on the blog (sidebar, front page etc).
6. Links from Outside Your Blog
Links from other sites to yours are key in SEO but they can be hard to get. Start to linking to your blog from other sites that you have or are active on. Some (like on Twitter) won’t count for anything much as they have no-follow tags but they are all potential ways for people to access your site and some will help with SEO.
Don’t become obsessed with getting links - rather become obsessed about writing great content and the links will generally come in time. However if you’ve written a great post that you think will be relevant to another blog don’t be afraid to let that blogger or website owner know about it - they could just link up.
Also - take note of the type of posts that you write that do well at getting other sites to link to you. You can learn a lot about generating linkable content by doing so and might just develop a technique that will work again and again.
7. Plugins
I don’t tend to do much to the back end of my blog to alter things like meta tags - but there are some good plugins around if you’re using WordPress that can help with some of this and that may give you a small edge. Check out 9 SEO plugins that every WordPress Blog Should have for some suggestions on this.
8. Readers Begat Readers
This isn’t an SEO technique as such but it plays a part. The more readers you have the more likely your blog is to be found by other readers. There’s a certain ’snowballing’ thing that happens on a site over time - as you get readers quite often momentum grows as those readers pass on your site to others in their network. They link to you, they bookmark you, they tweet about you, they email friends about you, they blog about you, they suggest your site in recommendation engines….
Not all of this counts with SEO but some does and the accumulation of it over time all certainly helps to grow both organic and search traffic. I guess what I’m saying is to get readers any way you can - don’t just focus upon ‘SEO’ as such. It all counts.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Google's New Wonder Wheel For Keyword Research
Posted by Will Blears in Google Articles, SEO Tutorials - June 10, 2009
Google’s new tool belt as they like to call it offers all sorts of functions as I discussed here however one function that I want to talk about in a little more depth is the ability to see keywords related to your initial search word and the ability to click through to other relevant keywords and have the search results appear for these too.
Take a look at the Wonder Wheel in action here: Google Wonder Wheel
The search option allows you to search for related keywords and delve in as deep as you can do to find other keywords which are generally smaller, less competitive keywords ideal for those who are performing keyword research looking for that golden keyword.
Now of course I don’t think this is going to revolutionise the keyword research process however it does have an appeal. The simple yet effective spider diagram aesthetics and the automatic search function when clicking on a relevant keyword does make things much easier.
So next time you are performing keyword research why not take a look at Google’s new tool belt and have a fiddle around with the wonder wheel.
Google’s new tool belt as they like to call it offers all sorts of functions as I discussed here however one function that I want to talk about in a little more depth is the ability to see keywords related to your initial search word and the ability to click through to other relevant keywords and have the search results appear for these too.
Take a look at the Wonder Wheel in action here: Google Wonder Wheel
The search option allows you to search for related keywords and delve in as deep as you can do to find other keywords which are generally smaller, less competitive keywords ideal for those who are performing keyword research looking for that golden keyword.
Now of course I don’t think this is going to revolutionise the keyword research process however it does have an appeal. The simple yet effective spider diagram aesthetics and the automatic search function when clicking on a relevant keyword does make things much easier.
So next time you are performing keyword research why not take a look at Google’s new tool belt and have a fiddle around with the wonder wheel.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Good Website Design
One of the elements of good web design is a lack of the elements that make bad web design. Keep these concepts in mind when designing a wesbite:
Text
Background does not interrupt the text
Text is big enough to read, but not too big
The hierarchy of information is perfectly clear
Columns of text are narrower than in a book to make reading easier on the screen
Navigation
Navigation buttons and bars are easy to understand and use
Navigation is consistent throughout web site
Navigation buttons and bars provide the visitor with a clue as to where they are, what page of the site they are currently on
Frames, if used, are not obtrusive
A large site has an index or site map
Links
Link colors coordinate with page colors
Links are underlined so they are instantly clear to the visitor
Graphics
Buttons are not overly big
Every graphic has an alt label
Every graphic link has a matching text link
Graphics and backgrounds use browser-safe colors
Animated graphics turn off by themselves
General Design
Pages download quickly
First page and home page fit into 1024x768 pixel space
Good use of graphic elements (photos, subheads, pull quotes) to break up large areas of text
Every web page in the site looks like it belongs to the same site; there are repetitive elements that carry throughout the pages
Text
Background does not interrupt the text
Text is big enough to read, but not too big
The hierarchy of information is perfectly clear
Columns of text are narrower than in a book to make reading easier on the screen
Navigation
Navigation buttons and bars are easy to understand and use
Navigation is consistent throughout web site
Navigation buttons and bars provide the visitor with a clue as to where they are, what page of the site they are currently on
Frames, if used, are not obtrusive
A large site has an index or site map
Links
Link colors coordinate with page colors
Links are underlined so they are instantly clear to the visitor
Graphics
Buttons are not overly big
Every graphic has an alt label
Every graphic link has a matching text link
Graphics and backgrounds use browser-safe colors
Animated graphics turn off by themselves
General Design
Pages download quickly
First page and home page fit into 1024x768 pixel space
Good use of graphic elements (photos, subheads, pull quotes) to break up large areas of text
Every web page in the site looks like it belongs to the same site; there are repetitive elements that carry throughout the pages
Thursday, September 17, 2009
10 SEO Copywriting Hints
1. Make sure your page content matches your Title descriptions and Meta data. The titles and Meta data should be as accurate as possible to describe the content.
2. Make your H2 and H3 tags contain other important keywords that perhaps you could receive long tailed traffic from (must be relevant to industry).
3. Look at your source code, see what content the spiders will see first and add value to this content, for example; if it’s a link – add a keyword / phrase, if its copy – add keyword or phrase to sentence.
4. Add keywords to your link descriptions within text copy, avoid “click here” and “read more” descriptions, but again make it relevant to the destination.
5. A sales page will not help you rank for a keyword, be informative and provide good detail on a page, include a click to action to your sales page if necessary.
6. Ensure your H1 tag contain your most desired keyword.
7. Highlight occasional keywords and phrases in bold to add emphasis for visitors.
8. If you use any references to external websites also provide a link pointing to the source, this adds credibility to the content.
9. Research your keywords – use online tools to check search volumes and competition. The higher the search volumes the harder it will be to rank well, but the more traffic you will get if you rank well!
10. Do not over use keywords in your individual page content. I have seen pages include a 3 keyword phrase more than 30 times on a single page and be placed 3 pages behind websites with 10-15 keywords on.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
What the Major Search Engines Look for On A Website
Google: Incoming Links, On-page SEO, Site Design Spiderability, User analytics, Outgoing links, Inclusion in other Google indexes, Document Histories
Yahoo: On-page SEO, Links and Link Patterns, Site Design, User analytics, Inclusion in other Yahoo indexes, Document Footprints
MSN: On-page SEO, Site Design and Structure and Sipderability
Ask: On-page SEO, Site Design, Site Structure and Spiderability
Yahoo: On-page SEO, Links and Link Patterns, Site Design, User analytics, Inclusion in other Yahoo indexes, Document Footprints
MSN: On-page SEO, Site Design and Structure and Sipderability
Ask: On-page SEO, Site Design, Site Structure and Spiderability
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
The Importance of Content for SEO
Often times we get so caught up in marketing our site and making it aesthetically pleasing, we forget one of, if not THE most important part of SEO. Content. The search engines can not see pictures, so the only way to tell them what your site is all about is to provide that information to them via text. But why is it so difficult to put text on our sites?
During the creation of a site, we often care more about how it looks than how it functions. Flash, in my opinion, can be used to create some of the most beautiful sites out there. We get so drawn into making nice layouts with neat animations, we completely neglect the fact that we are building a site for the world, not just us. The content on your site should actually be the first thing you think of when optimizing it. You need to convey to the search engines that your site is worthy of ranking, and that you are here to offer something to the masses. I often give this advice to customers, and get a great deal of fearful feedback. I hear a lot of "I don't even know what to write." Well, your site is an extension of your business/service/whatever, and as such you are likely to be well versed in that area. But I think people get caught up in the idea that the text is going to be placed on the site, promoting the attention to variables such as what font to use, what color, how it will look, etc.
The best advice that I can give in reference to thinking of text, is to close your site, use notepad (not Word. This creates problems when deciding to copy and paste), or a pen and paper (these do exist you know), and just put your thoughts to reality. Just write. Write about your business, yourself, your products, the history of your company, whatever. Just write. Before you know it, you will have well over 800 words of cryptic information all about your industry. As I write this, I am not thinking about my blog or my site, but only what I am trying to convey to you, the reader. Once you have all that information, organize it. Make it mean something, and make sense. Given enough thought, it will not be too difficult to come up with at least 500 words, which is a good amount of text to be placed on a website.
Once the content is on the site, you can obviously tweak it here and there to make proper use of your search terms (this will most likely happen anyway. You are writing on or about the same subject as your site, right?). And once that is done, you can then figure out what the layout, spacing, font, and all the other wonderful cosmetics the online world can offer will be.
As with all things online, this is easier written than done. But try this method out and see if it helps. To me, writing is my very weakest point, and this helps a great deal. Content is so very important to search engine optimization, and should be treated as such.
During the creation of a site, we often care more about how it looks than how it functions. Flash, in my opinion, can be used to create some of the most beautiful sites out there. We get so drawn into making nice layouts with neat animations, we completely neglect the fact that we are building a site for the world, not just us. The content on your site should actually be the first thing you think of when optimizing it. You need to convey to the search engines that your site is worthy of ranking, and that you are here to offer something to the masses. I often give this advice to customers, and get a great deal of fearful feedback. I hear a lot of "I don't even know what to write." Well, your site is an extension of your business/service/whatever, and as such you are likely to be well versed in that area. But I think people get caught up in the idea that the text is going to be placed on the site, promoting the attention to variables such as what font to use, what color, how it will look, etc.
The best advice that I can give in reference to thinking of text, is to close your site, use notepad (not Word. This creates problems when deciding to copy and paste), or a pen and paper (these do exist you know), and just put your thoughts to reality. Just write. Write about your business, yourself, your products, the history of your company, whatever. Just write. Before you know it, you will have well over 800 words of cryptic information all about your industry. As I write this, I am not thinking about my blog or my site, but only what I am trying to convey to you, the reader. Once you have all that information, organize it. Make it mean something, and make sense. Given enough thought, it will not be too difficult to come up with at least 500 words, which is a good amount of text to be placed on a website.
Once the content is on the site, you can obviously tweak it here and there to make proper use of your search terms (this will most likely happen anyway. You are writing on or about the same subject as your site, right?). And once that is done, you can then figure out what the layout, spacing, font, and all the other wonderful cosmetics the online world can offer will be.
As with all things online, this is easier written than done. But try this method out and see if it helps. To me, writing is my very weakest point, and this helps a great deal. Content is so very important to search engine optimization, and should be treated as such.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Label Your Images
Image labels may seem like a minor detail to a website that no one really thinks about them. However, it is very important to label the images throughout your website.
This needs to be done because of the different speeds of internet connections. If someone has a slower connection to the internet that means that your website is going to load at a slower rate for them. Images typically tend to be the last items on a page to load. The viewer is going to see a box with a red x at first if the image is loaded incorrectly or not properly labeled. Not to mention that a red x would also been seen if your website was not properly formatted to the browser that the visitor was viewing your site in.
So now that you know they are important, how do you label them? To label the images you need to change the alt tags to be text that describes the image. Remember, the text that you write is what is going to show when an image cannot be displayed. For this reason, the text needs to be as descriptive as possible, yet concise.
This needs to be done because of the different speeds of internet connections. If someone has a slower connection to the internet that means that your website is going to load at a slower rate for them. Images typically tend to be the last items on a page to load. The viewer is going to see a box with a red x at first if the image is loaded incorrectly or not properly labeled. Not to mention that a red x would also been seen if your website was not properly formatted to the browser that the visitor was viewing your site in.
So now that you know they are important, how do you label them? To label the images you need to change the alt tags to be text that describes the image. Remember, the text that you write is what is going to show when an image cannot be displayed. For this reason, the text needs to be as descriptive as possible, yet concise.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Useful Website Definitions
HASH TAG
A hash tag or hashtag is a way of organizing your Tweets for Twitter search engines. Users simply prefix a message with a community driven hash tag to enable others to discover relevant posts. One commonly used hash tag on twitter is #followfriday where users network by providing the names of their favorite people to follow on Twitter.
LINKED DATA
In Semantic Web terminology, Linked Data is the term used to describe a method of exposing and connecting data on the Web from different sources. Currently, the Web uses hypertext links that allow people to move from one document to another. The idea behind Linked Data is that hyperdata links will let people or machines find related data on the Web that was not previously linked.
LINK BUILDING
A search engine optimization technique where one increases the number and quality of incoming links from external sources with the intention of increasing a Web page's link popularity, thus helping increase a Web page's position in the search engines.
A hash tag or hashtag is a way of organizing your Tweets for Twitter search engines. Users simply prefix a message with a community driven hash tag to enable others to discover relevant posts. One commonly used hash tag on twitter is #followfriday where users network by providing the names of their favorite people to follow on Twitter.
LINKED DATA
In Semantic Web terminology, Linked Data is the term used to describe a method of exposing and connecting data on the Web from different sources. Currently, the Web uses hypertext links that allow people to move from one document to another. The idea behind Linked Data is that hyperdata links will let people or machines find related data on the Web that was not previously linked.
LINK BUILDING
A search engine optimization technique where one increases the number and quality of incoming links from external sources with the intention of increasing a Web page's link popularity, thus helping increase a Web page's position in the search engines.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Using Twitter to Promote Your Business
Twitter is a tool for "micro-blogging" or posting very short updates, comments or thoughts and it can be very power when used correctly. Twitter was designed to be very compatible with mobile phones through text messages, so each update is limited to 140 characters, forcing you to keep your "Tweets" short and to the point.
Here are a few ideas of how to use Twitter for your business successfully.
- Keep in touch with bloggers / media. It is really easy to follow someone on Twitter and you'll be surprised how often they decide to follow you as well. In fact, lots of "famous" people in the marketing and PR worlds are out there following new people all the time. This is a way easier way to connect with influential people in the media than calling and emailing them.
- Monitor your company / brand on Twitter. A while back we noticed that Guy Kawasaki mentioned Website Grader on Twitter. Well, of course someone told him bit more about Website Grader and he was asked if he would also blog about it. The result was this a blog featuring Website Grader which drove a good amount of traffic and leads.
- Announce specials, deals or sales. If you are a retailer or anyone who often has special offers, you can use Twitter to announce these deals instantly to a large audience. You know those commercials from Southwest Airlines about that "Ding" application you could download and would then alert you about specials on flights? Well, Twitter can be used as a kind of free version of that. Dell and Woot have done just this type of marketing, with a lot of success.
- Live updates on events or conferences. If you participate in a large trade show or run your own corporate event, you can use Twitter to announce last minute changes, cool events that are happening ("Just announced, David Meerman Scott book signing in the exhibit hall until 11am") and more. It is a great last minute marketing tool.
- Promote blog articles, webinars, interesting news and more. Its really easy to post a link to something in Twitter. A good idea is to post articles on other websites that are relevant to your business, like a customer success story or other PR coverage. If you have other content that is appealing to your audience like a free webinar, post links to those too.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
What are the Benefits of SEO?
So many people are talking about Search Engine Optimization these days and many online marketing companies offer it. So what does Search Engine Optimization (SEO) do for you?
Here are a few examples of how SEO can help you.
- Higher website conversion rates and more revenue or website leads through better keyword targeting.
- More targeted website traffic from cost-free clicks through improved rankings in the search results.
- Additional search engine visibility for many keyword combinations related to the core keyword phrases.
- Organic search engine listings can triple the click-through rate for the same keywords when they appear with paid search listings on the same page.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Social Network to Promote New Products
It is becoming a necessity these days to be able to find your way around social networking websites such as Twitter and Facebook. Here is an article written by Stacy Straczynski about how Krystal Blitz is using social networking to market and promote a new energy drink.
Facebook, Twitter Boost Krystal Blitz
Chain harnesses social media to buoy brand engagement
Aug 12, 2009
- Stacy Straczynski
NEW YORK Krystal Restaurants has kicked off a giveaway to promote its new Krystal Blitz energy drink. Each day through Aug. 17, the Southern quick-service chain will hide links on its Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube pages that direct participants to a coupon for a free 20-ounce Krystal Blitz. Once found, consumers can directly share the coupon with friends by posting the URL to their own social media pages.“Interactive and social marketing is very hot right now from a media consumption standpoint,” said Brad Wahl, vice president of marketing for Krystal. “Social media is one of those ways for us to be relevant, unique and different as a brand.”Consumers can improve their chances of finding a coupon by visiting all of Krystal’s social media sites throughout the day. Each URL will only remain live for a limited time -- about 30 minutes to an hour -- and each coupon is valid for 24 hours. The company will post clues on its social media pages to help users find where and when each day’s coupon will be available. “It’s good to see someone using the social net sites in a new and different way,” said Bill Sipper, senior partner at Cascadia Consulting, when asked about Krystal’s strategy. “But are people going to really care enough to go through all that work? And the answer is that honestly I don’t know.”Wahl, however, is confident people will “engage and play." Past online promotions offering chances to win free products, such as a recent online videogame show, have proven successful as incentives, he said. “You have the fun aspect of it: There is a little game that’s going on and it’s not just easy for everybody to get. That adds to the intrigue of the interaction and the engagement with the brand.”The Krystal Blitz was launched across Krystal Restaurants’ 384 locations on July 17. The carbonated energy drink features a mix of ingredients including taurine, green tea extract and caffeine, and is served to consumers in a 20-ounce cup either “on the rocks” or as a frozen treat.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
How To Promote Your Business Effectively on the Web
One way that you can promote your business online is the use of e-mail marketing campaigns. This is one of the most popular ways of communication. E-mails should be sent to existing customers and should inform about similar products or services they purchased from you before or sales and specials that you may have going on. E-mails should be also permission based and sent to customers who have confirmed that they would like to receive emails from you or your company. Be careful to not spam your customers and purchase an anti-spam software. Use clear and powerful headlines and brief descriptions of what is inside the e-mail. Email marketing is a very low cost medium which generates high conversion rates and enables you effectively communicate with your customers.
Another method is Search Engine Optimization. This process allows you to improve the volume of traffic to your website from various search engines via customers searches. To improve your chance to be found and clicked, you must meet some criteria. For example have quality, original and to the point content on your site. Place URL links to another sites related to your topic. And also have a search engine friendly coding, metatags, etc. You should make sure that your website developer is knowledgeable about these issues. It will save you lots of money in future and bring quality customers to your website and your business.
Next, a very popular method is company registration in business directories. This could be very forceful, depending on directory type, customer base and functionalies. Costs can vary as well. Business directories could be a reasonable combination of two previously mentioned online marketing methods.
Another method is Search Engine Optimization. This process allows you to improve the volume of traffic to your website from various search engines via customers searches. To improve your chance to be found and clicked, you must meet some criteria. For example have quality, original and to the point content on your site. Place URL links to another sites related to your topic. And also have a search engine friendly coding, metatags, etc. You should make sure that your website developer is knowledgeable about these issues. It will save you lots of money in future and bring quality customers to your website and your business.
Next, a very popular method is company registration in business directories. This could be very forceful, depending on directory type, customer base and functionalies. Costs can vary as well. Business directories could be a reasonable combination of two previously mentioned online marketing methods.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
How to Market Your Business Online With Only Small Budget
While there are lots of people doing business online. Not every one has enough resources to spend in the beginning of their venture as online entrepreneur. Yes there are corporations that are consisting of several partners who have immediate funds available in accelerating the growth of their newly setup business, but how about the individuals who have very limited resources to start with? Is there a better solution for these individuals?
We all know that in every business, there is something being offered. Either it is a special product or an excellent service to be provided. However, it is also true that whatever is being offered in a certain business won't even matter at all if you can't get it out to prospective buyers or customers out there.
With very little budget, it is possible to jump start your business on the internet through effective promotion. But what is the best solution to promote your business online involving only minimal cost? The answer is through search engine marketing. I have a strong feeling you already know what search engines are. But my question to you is, do you know how to take advantage of search engines in order to start making profits?
Although you can market using the search engines though paid advertising, let me just focus on teaching you the non-paid version of marketing on the search engines. To make everything as easy as possible for you to understand, let me just emphasize our target here. Your main goal should be to get the word out about your business using the search engines.
So without any long specific details, here are some of the best options to accomplish that goal:
Write a short article explaining about your product and service. Post it on your site then submit the webpage address to social bookmarking sites. There are lots of bookmarking sites available to use.
Write another short article about your business, then begin publishing it to popular article directories like EzineArticles. There are also lots of popular article sites to take advantage of.
Sign up on different social media & networking websites and begin linking your website from these social sites.
When the search engines find your articles, then you will start getting free publicity brought about them. And as you begin linking your website from different websites, you are helping the search engines find your site fast as well as rank it for the appropriate keywords you are targeting.
We all know that in every business, there is something being offered. Either it is a special product or an excellent service to be provided. However, it is also true that whatever is being offered in a certain business won't even matter at all if you can't get it out to prospective buyers or customers out there.
With very little budget, it is possible to jump start your business on the internet through effective promotion. But what is the best solution to promote your business online involving only minimal cost? The answer is through search engine marketing. I have a strong feeling you already know what search engines are. But my question to you is, do you know how to take advantage of search engines in order to start making profits?
Although you can market using the search engines though paid advertising, let me just focus on teaching you the non-paid version of marketing on the search engines. To make everything as easy as possible for you to understand, let me just emphasize our target here. Your main goal should be to get the word out about your business using the search engines.
So without any long specific details, here are some of the best options to accomplish that goal:
Write a short article explaining about your product and service. Post it on your site then submit the webpage address to social bookmarking sites. There are lots of bookmarking sites available to use.
Write another short article about your business, then begin publishing it to popular article directories like EzineArticles. There are also lots of popular article sites to take advantage of.
Sign up on different social media & networking websites and begin linking your website from these social sites.
When the search engines find your articles, then you will start getting free publicity brought about them. And as you begin linking your website from different websites, you are helping the search engines find your site fast as well as rank it for the appropriate keywords you are targeting.
Friday, July 24, 2009
5 Winning Search Engine Optimization Tactics
ONE - Keywords
The single biggest mistake that most business owners make is trying to think of a "cool name" for their website, when they should have chosen a keyword-rich site name like 'prevent-corporate-bankruptcy.com' instead of SmithLawOffice.com' (as an example). Your potential customers search for keyword phrases... not business names... unless you're already a household name like Wal-Mart, eBay or Apple. Facing reality, many business owners gave up on websites ever helping their business a long time ago... usually because of a poor website name choice. And, it doesn't have to be this way.
Simply, discover what terms people are searching for. Identify the "action" keywords and phrases that people are actually using when they are searching Google, Yahoo, MSN or any of the other major search engines. I highly recommend looking for keyword phrases that incorporate the following keywords: buy, want, need, order, download, etc. I'm sure you're getting the idea now. Then, you need to purchase website names that are centered around the most popular keyword phrases. And, redirect these visitors to your current website. And, I promise that you can setup a website redirect in less than one minute... even if computers scare you. You just need to have access to your website hosting interface, with cPanel being the most popular choice.
TWO - Optimizing Your Web Page
After identifying a minimum of 10 keyword phrases, I recommend optimizing your current website pages' title tags, meta tags, image "alt" tags. You need to start using these keywords within your webpage content in bold text, underlined text, and as text links. Do not overuse these keywords though. These keywords should only comprise 4-6% of each page. So, if you have 500 words on a webpage, limit your keyword usage to 20-30 words. Most of the major search engines index every word of your page and compare them to your title META description and META keywords. So, you should never hide or add non-related keywords to your webpages: like Anna Kournakova, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, etc. This is a "black hat" tactic and should never be used, unless your want your website to be permanently banned by the search engine directories.
Most of the major search engines don't even consider the META keywords anymore, which is why the actual content of your webpages is becoming more and more important. Excessive repeating of keywords is considered as spamming, which will get your website penalized with a lower ranking. And, be sure mix your keywords in different combinations throughout the page and in your ALT tags, instead of using the same phrase over and over again.
THREE - Link Popularity
One of the most important factors to achieve a high ranking in the search engines is link popularity. The overall number of links to your web site is important, but the quality of the links are even more important. All the search engines are very fond of "on topic" links. Links from sites that contain your same keyword content and are focusing on the same topic as your site, are known as "on topic" links. Three of the best ways to get "on topic" quality backlinks are to comment on other industry-related blogs, make comments in industry-related forums, and to submit articles to article directories. Just make sure that you're adding comments or articles to high pagerank sites, avoiding low page rank sites.
FOUR - Misspellings
Adding misspelled keywords within your META tags can also boost your website traffic, because many people are likely to misspell your keywords when browsing the search engine directories. As an example, here are several popular misspellings I found people making when they searched for a site submission service, as follows: "free search engine submision", "sumit", "subit", "search egnine submission", "submition", and "saerchengines".
FIVE - Add Fresh Content
Adding fresh content to your website on a regular basis is another key factor that plays a critical role in your search engine rankings. Adding new content regularly gives your visitors a reason to come back. Search engine robots will also visit your website more often, once they notice that you update regularly. This is one of the main reasons why WordPress blogs are so popular right now. When visitors leave comments about blog posts you have made, the search engine bots see this as new content. And, it really helps your site rankings when a visitor makes a comment with a permalink back to their high pagerank site. This helps website owners save time, by allowing website visitors to create content for them.
The single biggest mistake that most business owners make is trying to think of a "cool name" for their website, when they should have chosen a keyword-rich site name like 'prevent-corporate-bankruptcy.com' instead of SmithLawOffice.com' (as an example). Your potential customers search for keyword phrases... not business names... unless you're already a household name like Wal-Mart, eBay or Apple. Facing reality, many business owners gave up on websites ever helping their business a long time ago... usually because of a poor website name choice. And, it doesn't have to be this way.
Simply, discover what terms people are searching for. Identify the "action" keywords and phrases that people are actually using when they are searching Google, Yahoo, MSN or any of the other major search engines. I highly recommend looking for keyword phrases that incorporate the following keywords: buy, want, need, order, download, etc. I'm sure you're getting the idea now. Then, you need to purchase website names that are centered around the most popular keyword phrases. And, redirect these visitors to your current website. And, I promise that you can setup a website redirect in less than one minute... even if computers scare you. You just need to have access to your website hosting interface, with cPanel being the most popular choice.
TWO - Optimizing Your Web Page
After identifying a minimum of 10 keyword phrases, I recommend optimizing your current website pages' title tags, meta tags, image "alt" tags. You need to start using these keywords within your webpage content in bold text, underlined text, and as text links. Do not overuse these keywords though. These keywords should only comprise 4-6% of each page. So, if you have 500 words on a webpage, limit your keyword usage to 20-30 words. Most of the major search engines index every word of your page and compare them to your title META description and META keywords. So, you should never hide or add non-related keywords to your webpages: like Anna Kournakova, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, etc. This is a "black hat" tactic and should never be used, unless your want your website to be permanently banned by the search engine directories.
Most of the major search engines don't even consider the META keywords anymore, which is why the actual content of your webpages is becoming more and more important. Excessive repeating of keywords is considered as spamming, which will get your website penalized with a lower ranking. And, be sure mix your keywords in different combinations throughout the page and in your ALT tags, instead of using the same phrase over and over again.
THREE - Link Popularity
One of the most important factors to achieve a high ranking in the search engines is link popularity. The overall number of links to your web site is important, but the quality of the links are even more important. All the search engines are very fond of "on topic" links. Links from sites that contain your same keyword content and are focusing on the same topic as your site, are known as "on topic" links. Three of the best ways to get "on topic" quality backlinks are to comment on other industry-related blogs, make comments in industry-related forums, and to submit articles to article directories. Just make sure that you're adding comments or articles to high pagerank sites, avoiding low page rank sites.
FOUR - Misspellings
Adding misspelled keywords within your META tags can also boost your website traffic, because many people are likely to misspell your keywords when browsing the search engine directories. As an example, here are several popular misspellings I found people making when they searched for a site submission service, as follows: "free search engine submision", "sumit", "subit", "search egnine submission", "submition", and "saerchengines".
FIVE - Add Fresh Content
Adding fresh content to your website on a regular basis is another key factor that plays a critical role in your search engine rankings. Adding new content regularly gives your visitors a reason to come back. Search engine robots will also visit your website more often, once they notice that you update regularly. This is one of the main reasons why WordPress blogs are so popular right now. When visitors leave comments about blog posts you have made, the search engine bots see this as new content. And, it really helps your site rankings when a visitor makes a comment with a permalink back to their high pagerank site. This helps website owners save time, by allowing website visitors to create content for them.
Want more information? Go to www.jadeinternational.com!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
How the Age of a Website Affects Search Engine Rankings
Did you know the age of your web site affects how a search engine like Google assigns a ranking on search engine result pages? Spam sites often come and go quickly. For this reason, search engines trust a web site that has been around for a long time over one that is brand new. The age of the domain is seen as a sign of trustworthiness because it cannot be faked.
Want more information? Go to www.jadeinternational.com!
Want more information? Go to www.jadeinternational.com!
Come See us at Video Wisconsin
Come see the founder of JADE International present the basics of online marketing at Video Wisconsin in Brookfield Wisconsin on Thursday July 16, 2009 at 2:45 PM.
Want more information? Go to www.jadeinternational.com!
Want more information? Go to www.jadeinternational.com!
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Global Link Popularity
A very important key to high rankings with the search engines is your websites “Global Link Popularity”. The global link popularity measures how many web pages link to your site. The number of web pages linking to your website is important, but not as important as the quality of the web pages that link to your site. All major search engines take the quality and the context of the links into account. Search engines assume that your website must offer relevant content if many quality sites link to it.
Want more information? Go to www.jadeinternational.com!
Want more information? Go to www.jadeinternational.com!
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