Search Engine Optimization Techniques
21 Essential SEO Tips and Techniques :
Companies are increasingly aware of the need to understand and implement at least the basics of search engine optimization (SEO). But if you read a variety of blogs and websites, you will quickly see that there is considerable uncertainty about what constitutes " essential." Without access to high-level consultation and without much experience knowing what SEO resources can be trusted , there are also a lot of misinformation about the strategies and tactics of SEO.
1 . Engage in the process. SEO is not a one-time event. Search engine algorithms change regularly , so the tactics that worked last year may not work this year. SEO requires a vision and a long-term commitment .
2 . Be patient. SEO is not about instant gratification. Results often take months to see, and this is especially true the smaller you are , and the newer you are to doing business online .
3 . Ask lots of questions when hiring an SEO company . It 's your job to know what kind of tactics the company uses . Ask for clarification . Ask if there are risks involved. Then get online and make your own research about the company , about the tactics they discussed , and so on .
4 . Become a student of SEO. If you take the do-it- yourself route , you must become a student of SEO and learn as much as you can. Fortunately for you, there are plenty of great Web resources ( like Search Engine Land ) and several terrific books you can read. ( Yes , printed books real ! ) See our SEO page What for a variety of articles, books and resources.
5. Have web analytics in place early. You must have clearly defined objectives your SEO efforts , and you 'll need a web analytics software in place so that you can track what works and what does not .
6 . Build a website . I'm sure you want to appear on the first page of results. Ask yourself: "My site is truly one of the 10 best websites in the world on this subject ? " Be honest . If it does not do better.
7 . Include a site map page . Spiders can not index that can not be scanned pages . A site map will help spiders find all the important pages of your site, and help the spider understand your site hierarchy . This is especially useful if your site has to hard- crawl navigation menu. If your site is large, make several site map pages . Keep each less than 100 links. I tell clients 75 is the max for sure.
8 . SEO-friendly URLs . Use keywords in your URLs and file names, such as yourdomain.com / red widgets.html . Do not worry too much, though. A file with 3 + hyphens tends to look spam and users may be hesitant to click. Related bonus tip : Use hyphens in file names and URLs, not underscores. Hyphens are treated as a "space" , while points are not.
9 . Search by keyword at the beginning of the project. If you 're on a tight budget , use the free versions of Keyword Discovery or WordTracker , both of which were also more powerful paid versions . Ignore the number of these tools present, what is important is the relative volume of one word to another. Another good tool is a free keyword tool Google AdWords that does not show the exact figures.
10 . Open a PPC account. Whether to Google AdWords , Microsoft adCenter or something else, it's a great way to get actual search volume for your keywords . Yes , it costs money , but if you have the budget, it is worth the investment. This is the solution if you did not like the " Be patient " suggestion above and are looking for instant visibility .
11 . Use a unique and relevant title and meta description on every page. The page title is the most important factor on page SEO . It is rare to rank for an initial period (2-3 words) without that term is part of the title of the page . The meta description tag does help you rank , but it often appears that the text snippet below your list , so it should include the relevant keyword (s) and be written so as to encourage researchers to click on your ad . Related bonus tip : You can ignore the keywords meta tag , as no major search engine supports today.
12 . Write for novice users . Google , Yahoo , etc., have pretty powerful robots that crawl the web, but to my knowledge these bots have never bought anything online , signed up for a newsletter , or picked up the phone to call about your services . Humans do these things , to write your page copy with humans in mind. Yes, you need keywords in the text, but do not stuff each page like a Thanksgiving turkey . Keep it readable.
13. Create great content , unique . This is important for everyone, but it is a particular challenge for online retailers. If you are selling the same widget that 50 other retailers sell , and everyone uses the boilerplate descriptions from the manufacturer, this is a great opportunity. Write your own product descriptions , using the keyword research you did earlier (see # 9 above) to target actual words researchers use and make product pages that blow the competition away . In addition , the retailer or not , great content is a great way to get inbound links.
14. Use your keywords as anchor text in the internal connection . Anchor text helps tells spiders that the page linked to is about. Links that say "click here" do nothing for your visibility in search engines.
15 . Liaise intelligently. Start with fundamental links such as directories of confidence. ( Yahoo and DMOZ are often cited as examples, but do not waste time worrying about DMOZ submission . Submit it and forget it . ) Solicit links from authority sites in your industry . If local search matters to you (more details to come) , seek links from trusted sites in your area - the Chamber of Commerce , local business directories , etc. analyze inbound links to your competitors to find links you can acquire too. Create great content on a consistent basis and use social media to raise awareness and links. ( A blog is ideal for this , see below) .
16. Use press releases wisely. Develop a relationship with the media covering your industry or region can be a great source of exposure , including getting links from trusted websites media. Release distribution online can be a effective link building tactic , and opens the door for exposure in the search for information sites . Bonus tip : this is only issue a statement when you have something worthwhile to say . Do not waste time journalists.
17. Start a blog and participate with other related blogs. Search engines , especially Google , love blogs for the fresh content and highly structured data. Beyond that, there is no better way to join the conversations that are already in your industry and / or company . Reading and commenting on other blogs can also increase your visibility and help you acquire new links. Related bonus tip : Put your blog at yourdomain.com / blog for your main domain gets the benefit of all links to your blog posts . If this is not possible, use blog.yourdomain.com .
18 . Use social media marketing wisely. If your business has a visual element , join the appropriate communities on Flickr and post high quality photos here . If you are a company focused on service, use Small Business Search Marketing and can be found on Twitter at @ MattMcGee and / or on Google Plus . See more articles by Matt McGee
0 comments:
Post a Comment