The main objective of this weeks post? Interviewing Your Potential SEO Company(part 2) is to cover the areas? of partnership between the prospective SEO company and your business. The blog consists of questions which help in determining?? whether the company is going to take an active interest in the success of your business or just punch the clock and charge the monthly search engine optimization fees. The basic questions that? a company must ask are ,
‘How often will we communicate’ , ‘What is our timeline and how will we define success’ , ‘Can you help build my business beyond your SEO efforts ‘ ,

Success can be defined in a number of ways like? a ranking on the front page of the search engines for the defined keywords.

………….. Read More

The daily evolution of search engine optimization results in the birth of new myths on a regular basis but the old ones dont seem to die with the same regularity. This may be due to the idea that some myths make it easier for companies to sell their SEO services, while others just carry on under their own power. The following is a list of some of the new myths as well as those that might take either a silver bullet or a wooden stake to kill.

1. That Google partners with or approves SEO companies – This one is unlikely to die any time soon as it sounds great in a sales pitch, even though it isnt true.
2. You have to optimize your meta tags Spammers latched on to meta tags long ago to further their evil agendas. Search engines countered by virtually ignoring meta tags in their algorithms.
3. Well register your site with hundreds of directories to improve your rankings Another fallacy that sounds great in a sales pitch. Besides, a high percentage of directories are specific in nature. Registering a website that sells dog collars on a directory for mobility scooters isnt going to help anyone.
4. Using Flash hurts a sites rankings It doesnt hurt, but it doesnt help either. Flash used in moderation can improve the user experience while too much can slow down the site, irritating impatient visitors.
5. I know my keywords so I dont need to research them Site owners may know their keywords, but they typically go with keywords which are too general or terms used by business insiders. Research will reveal the terms people are using to search for a companys products and which ones can be optimized for the fastest and most cost-effective results.
6. Link building is optional Assumptions are that algorithms currently in use at Google, Yahoo, and Bing rely on in-bound links for around 50% of their ranking formula. Without link building the rest of SEO work is a waste of time in terms of rankings.
7. You got to get to page one at all costs The get to page one part is true while the at all costs part is false. This is where keyword research comes in by defining the keywords which can make it to page while delivering a positive return on investment.

Listen for these myths in sales pitches to determine who is blowing smoke and who isnt. The second half this list will be covered in Part 2.

Keeping up with innovations in the alternatives to written content could be considered a full time job as the role of websites continues to evolve from simple information dissemination sources to whiz-bang multimedia experiences. While the options have expanded dramatically, the ultimate purpose of any research based, optimized content remains the same; to bring visitors to the site and then keep them interested while they move through the conversion process. With visitors becoming more discriminating, the sales process may require multiple visits prior to conversion so a variety of content and multiple ways to deliver it can make each return trip to the site a fresh experience. Going beyond written content can include any of the following:

• Videos: Can be of two kinds, product information video or product use video. Add it to your sales pages to increase conversions. According to industry statistics, conversions increase by 30% if an effective video is added.
• Video conferencing: Good for B2B customers.
• RSS Feeds: Use these feeds to advertise your product.
• Webinars: suitable for knowledge product sites
• Live Chat: Suitable for all websites, it instantly resolves problems and questions by prospects
• Interactive Features like Twitter”" and Facebook on social networking: This is the new WOM (word-of-mouth) sales pitch. Others talk about you in fact they recommend you while you just act as an information facilitator or a problem solver.
• Flash(Now that Google/Adobe are working to make it readable by crawlers): Interesting Flash makes the visitor stay longer on the website and the probability of clicking on a link increases by 23%.
• Podcasts: Get interesting interviews done, throw in some humor suddenly you’ll find people liking you and your products more.

As a result of increasing competition which makes standing out from the crowd more difficult, many businesses are now using these written content alternatives to offer a more dynamic experience to their visitors. Some of these features, such as videos and video conferencing, can either be embedded on the site or linked out to third party providers, depending on the budget of the website. In fact, advance at video conferencing providers such as SightSpeed and Vidyo have now made the services both cost effective and robust enough to host larger conferences.

Two things which haven’t changed are the need for extensive keyword and keyphrase research as the foundation for SEO initiatives as well as constant testing to see what is working and what isn’t. The bottom line for any of these features, after all, is to deliver on their intended objective. Research and testing can confirm its value. If research and testing capacity isn’t available in-house, consider outsourcing these tasks to experienced web design and search engine optimization agencies.

With increasingly high expectations from visitors and an intensifying competitive landscape, websites which add alternative content delivery features must pay more attention and be open to testing and analysis of them to see that they are providing optimal results. It is at the web pages themselves, after all, where information is collected, conversions occur, and success of the site is determined. For that reason, using only the features which visitors see as valuable is imperative in terms of delivering a company’s message and enhancing the perceived value of the site in its entirety.

• Check out the latest blog post on our website maintenance site and read on as Daniel Levis top copywriter analyzes human nature and lays out marketing techniques to master them.

  

  Find out

  • Why fear and anger are such useful emotions to evoke in your copy …
  • How society conditions your customers to respond in automatic, predictable ways to given stimuli that you can use in your marketing …
  • How demographics impact human nature, and human nurture …

After getting the onsite done properly for your website to make impact you need to get things done properly offsite too. There are certain aspects of internet strategy that you may consider as most appropriate for your business, but the 9 steps below are fundamental offsite steps.

1. Article Marketing
2. Blogging
3. Forum Marketing
4. Directory Submissions
5. Press releases
6. Social media marketing
7. Online profiles

You can watch our Offsite SEO Technique Video for an overview.

There are 2 newer methods that appeal to online users

1. Podcasting
2. Vlogging or Video Blogging

For the next coming weeks I will discuss each aspect in detail.

Meanwhile you can check out these free business resources given by GMRWebTeam.

Until next week
Sangeeta

You’ve worked hard at identifying the keywords that will drive traffic to your website.
These keywords have to be integrated with website design to start driving traffic to your website. Then there is the issue of conversions. So the design, code and content must be integrated for a successful website business. Discuss all of the below factors with your website designer and content writer if any.

Website Design: The Fundamentals

There are thousands of website design companies out there and you can choose any. Ask for quotes from a few of them to analyze their services. The rates vary as per services and pages. Ecommerce websites cost more than information websites. Inquire if maintenance and hosting services are included in the pricing.

• Insist on the website design coding being done in CSS. It’s convenient if you want to change a style later on and is very SE friendly.
• Templates may be cheap, but then your website wouldn’t stand out. That’ll affect conversions and you lose the money you set to save.
• The call to action must be clear and outlined but not outrageous.
• Choose colors suitable for your business. It modulates the mood of the visitor.
• The classic white background and black text is the best. Top copywriters follow this and leave color spaces around the edges of their pages.
• Do not compromise on site navigability. A visitor must get what he came to the site for and any additional information must be easily available for him to see.
•  The <a href=”http://www.w3.org”>World Wide Web Consortium </a>is a standard for coding. Ask for the w3.org validator for XHTML and CSS to be added once the site is done. You can then check the accuracy of the coding yourself.

Integrating Keywords with Website Design
The diligent work you did for finalizing your keywords find a place here. Once the keywords are integrated in the design there is a better chance of your website coming up in SERPs.

• Filenames: Try to use the keyword in the file names, both the webpage and the image file if any. For phrases use hyphens to separate words.
• HTML Tags: Search Engines Read the HTML part of a website. So use your keywords in the

• Anchor Text: The phrases used to link to a web page are called anchor text. Keep the anchor text to a webpage close to the key phrase of the web page. Use the anchor text on the website and from outside to link to the webpage.

Fundamental SEO Requirements of Website Design
These small requirements make your site easily to spider for search engines and they pick up all of your site and add the pages to their index.

• Site Architecture should be structured and neat.  Avoid going more than 3 levels deep as far as folders are concerned.

Bad Example: http://www.xyz.com/bicycles/seats/leather/productname.aspx
Good Example: http://www.xyz.com/bicycle-seats/productname.aspx

• Robot file: This file tells the search engines where to go and where not to.
• Sitemap: Is available in 2 versions HTML AND XML. Have both versions on the website. The xml version should be submitted to search engines. It tells the search engine that these are the web pages on the website. The HTML version is to aid your visitors navigate the website.
• 301 redirects: If you are revamping your website with new software and keyword rich URLs, do not lose the value of the old pages. Redirect them to new relevant pages using a 301 redirect that tells both visitors and search engines to go there.

 The One and Only Integrator: Content
Content integrates all factors together. Even a totally ecommerce website needs names and description of products. DO NOT copy and paste content from the web. It’s a crime and you could be prosecuted. Content is king. It tells the visitor what your website is all about, what options are available and how they can avail those facilities. Spend a lot of time doing your content.

• Good original content is the best optimizer ever.
• Use your keywords in the title/headline of the content and the body of the content coupled with great style
• The ideal content length is 350 words or more.
• Use synonyms of the keyword
• Having a well structured website ensures that there is smooth flow of content from section to section

These factors integrated together can create a successful website. Make these factors an essential criterion for an internet strategy for your business. Together this strategy coupled with some plain hard work will save you a lot of time and money.

Until next week, when we discuss other strategies of bringing visitors to your website.

Regards,
Sangeeta

Targeting the right keywords is half the work done.

How to Find the Right Keywords? The Process

If you are starting your site from scratch, selecting keywords at this stage is a time and money saver. If you are redesigning your website, this is the time to outgrow your previous mistakes.

If you are wondering what keyword has to do with website design think again. It determines whether your website architecture will have a folder or linear structure. If it is a folder structure then how many levels? Suppose you are a company selling confections. You are designing an e-commerce website. You may have two or more options for website architecture

This will give you a directory structure of

http://www.xyz.com/cakes/category/productid
e,g http://www.xyz.com/cakes/wedding/12345-aabcde
http://www.xyz.com/candy/category/productid
http://www.xyz.com/chocolate/category/productid

OR
You can have this

This will give you a directory structure of

http://www.xyz.com/weddings/category/productid
http://www.xyz.com/bithdays/category/productid
http://www.xyz.com/thanksgiving/category/productid

Now, Using <a href=”http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com>Wordtracker</a> to determine the search phrases customers use to find the ‘ cakes’ we find people are searching for wedding cakes, birthday cakes, diaper cakes and so on.

Naturally the second option is a better website architecture structure. It can grow both laterally and longitudinally. It’s more suitable for search patterns hence later it will be easier to optimize.

The best way to do a keyword search is to write down the phrases that describe your website’s purpose. Start with:

5 one-word phrases

10 two-word phrases

5 three-word phrases

Run them in a keyword tool. You will be amazed at the results.

Save them in a spreadsheet.

Selecting the Right Keywords

Your spreadsheet probably has a thousand keywords. It’s best to have a base keyword in mind around which your site will evolve. Keep these in mind before you start selection

• One word phrases are the hardest to rank for because they require a high number of backlinks which is difficult for a new site.
• Their conversions are also the worst because people are not searching for that product or information. They realize it as soon as they type it and see 44 million websites for ‘cakes’.
• Two phrase keywords are good to optimize for as they have more searches and hence more conversions. But they are difficult to do so especially for a new website.
• Three phrase keywords may be few but are relatively easy to optimize for. It’s best to start with three word keywords.

Select the 3 word phrases most suitable for your site.

The other factors that matter are

• The number of competing sites
• The strength of those competing sites

The problem with free tools is that they do not show the competition. For this the best way to do it is manually.

Open Google, type the phrase and see the number of websites that come up for each page. Examine the sites on the first page. They will be the sites you will be competing with. Open each site, check their page rank and the backlinks to their site.

You can download the Pagerank toolbar at

http://toolbar.google.com

To check backlinks type the following code in Google search bar substituting the site name with your website name.

link: sitename.com

Select a long string for 3 word phrases whose searches rank more than 5 per day. This is the starting list for keywords for your site. Repeat the same procedure for two word phrases.

At this stage it may be suitable for you to leave out 1 word phrases.

Integrating the Keywords in your Website Design

All efforts at selection are useless if keywords are not properly integrated in design

2 tips before starting:

Do not optimize for more than 3 keywords on one page

Preferably optimize for related keywords

Example:

Virtual Offices in Irvine Orange County (keyword)

-Virtual Offices

-Virtual Offices Irvine

-Virtual Offices Orange County

Get your website designer to use these search phrases in the page in Title tags, Keyword tags, Header tags and Alt tags. While writing the content for the page make sure you use the phrase at least twice in 350 words of content. Use synonyms of the keywords.

Wow… that’s quite a lot of work done.

Until next week,

Regards,

Sangeeta

Below are some additional free small business resources apart from those listed in the ebook.

If you do not have a website yet, identify the most successful competitor website. Use that website as a base to find out more about the behavior and demographic profile of your customers. Compare it against two other competitor website. Believe me, it will prove quite an education and give you new ideas. You will be able to identify the weaknesses of each website and hence your planned website will be better than the others.

I would like to add a few more resource URLs to Ajay’s list for business research

http://www.google.com/adplanner

http://www/google.com/trends

http://www.quantcast.com

http://www.google.com/insights

If you already have a website ask for a comparative analysis from an SEO company or a website marketing company. Most of them do it for free as an initial requisite of their marketing needs

Keyword Selection Strategy

Choosing keywords for your website is the most critical phase in an Internet strategy. Normally first a website is designed, the tabs are added and then the keyword is chosen. This process is too lengthy, costly and time consuming. If you have the keywords decided earlier in your strategy, SEO aspects like filenames, titles, metatags, alt tags can all be taken care of during the web design stage itself. Most companies that offer SEO website design services work this way.

To identify keywords work this way.

Write down 5 to 10 one word phrase that describes your business or website purpose.

Next write down 5 to 10 two word phrases that describe your business or website purpose

Again, write down 5 to 10 three word phrases that describe your business or website purpose

Then create a table of those words.

Using a keyword tool as listed below or in the book list the number of searches for each keyword.

Phrases that rank highly for searches are the ideal ones to aim for. At this stage however put them in your probable keywords list. The problem with optimizing for such phrases is that the competition for such phrases will be higher in multiples. For new businesses, especially small businesses running on tight budgets the strategy should be to optimize for a larger number of three to four word phrases, where the competition is much less. This is called the long tail search theory, whereby the volume of searches for high search phrases are made up by optimizing the website for larger number of keywords for smaller number of phrases.

Wordtracker, does have a free version of keyword tool. I rate it as one of the most authentic free keyword tool. Go to http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com/. You can also confirm cross check your keywords at https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

Aim to optimize for local searches first and then for national searches. Local searches have a better conversion rate. And a Global presence is the first step to becoming a national presence.

Do not target more than two or three keyword phrases per page. Create a unique page for each of your services or products. These pages can also be used as landing pages for PPC campaigns.

If you are confused consult an SEO expert on keywords. Do not compromise on this as it will determine the direction of your internet strategy.

Regards,
Sangeeta

Meta tags are tags especially for the search engines. They tell the search engines what your web page is all about and helps it to index your page more accurately.

Meta tags are the hidden code usually put at the top of websites designed to perform different functions. The two most famous and misunderstood meta tags for SEO purposes are the description and keywords meta tags which you can find somewhere between your head tags. They are designed to provide the additional info about a page. Amongst other things, they tell the search engine what your page is all about, helping it to index your page more accurately.

So, meta tags are keywords placed in the top of a HTML webpage document to help search engines understand your page better. Just like the title tag, scripts and other information that go in the head section, Meta tags are not displayed on the page itself. Put them on every page that you create or publish. The search engine will find all your pages and you have a good chance of ranking your page highly. Yahoo lays more importance to Metatags than other popular search engines.

The most important Meta tags for SEO purposes are-

Description meta tag- The experts in SEO world believe (Might be based on facts and their experience!!!!) that the description meta tag is not crawled by search engines but the description metatag is simply displayed if your site shows up for SERPs. It easily grabs the attention of a surfer and aids in conversion. Therefore, make your page description tag keyword-rich, at the same time focus should be on the human reader.

Keyword meta tag- The keywords tag tells the search engine what keywords are important for that page. The original idea with the keywords tag was to provide a list of alternative keywords-synonyms to the keywords used in the body of the page. For best results don’t repeat keywords, use synonyms and limit the characters to 150.

Title tag- It isn’t a meta tag in a true technical sense. It is an HTML tag.

But generally it’s clubbed in the meta tag for ‘client’ ease of understanding (And novice SEO programmers too…….) It’s the most important tag in your head section, and shows up in the browser title bar. For best results keep it short to 65 characters and have unique title for each page.

Therefore, put a descriptive description in your description tag and relevant keywords in your keywords tag. Make sure you target people who have the potential of turning into customers.

The other common Meta tags include title, author, owner, subject, rating, abstract, language, copyright, robots etc.

Meta tags were started back in the early 90’s to help the search engines organize the growing number of web pages. This was an easy way to make your site indexed and listed high. But recently most search engines put more emphasis on technically advanced algorithms rather than Meta tags for organizing their search engines.