SEO-FAQ's

There are many question that comes to your mind when one thinks of SEO, In this article I am trying to answer few of those question. If you any question you can ask me at info@varshltech.com

1.) How can I use Robot file; can you give us an example of it?
Ans:- I believe you talking about robots.txt. It's a file in the main/root directory of a website which informs the crawler/search engine spiders where they are allowed to go, i.e which all pages in the website they should crawl.
A basic structure of robot.txt file is:
User-agent: *
Disallow:
You can disallow folders or files by putting this into the file:
User-agent: *
Disallow: /foldername/filename or /foldername
Official guidelines is to keep the number of links per page below 100.

2.) How can I find out how many people have searched for my keywords?
A: There are number of tools available on Internet, but the one that is free and very good is overture, Google for "Overture keyword Toll" and you will find it. The Search Term This Tool will show you number of searches per month on Overture's network.

3.) What are SERPs?
A: Search Engine Result Pages

4.) What does term "ALGO" implies?
A: An 'Algo' is an abbreviation of 'Algorithm'. (Mathematical formula or calculation that Google uses in order to rank the websites.)

5.) Should I use Google's Site Map? An example. A: Every site should have a sitemap of some sort. It provides a way for visitors to navigate your website. Google for "sitemap" and you'll find nice examples, although it would be advisable to follow Google's

6.)My page is in Top 5 in Yahoo, but not in the top 1,000 in Google. Why is it so?
A. Yahoo and Google use two different algorithms to come up with their SERPs - Yahoo favors on- page optimization such as H1 tags, keyword density, etc whereas Google favors off page with good quality inbound links. If you have put more efforts on page then you will rank higher on Yahoo and vice versa.

7.) How can I find out where I rank on google/yahoo?
A: There are two websites that can help you to find the answer to you question, these are: a) www.googlerankings.com for Google

b) www.yahoosearchrankings.com for Yahoo. (This is for single keywords) If you are looking to track multiple keywords over time then the best (and free) tool is Digital Points Keyword Monitor at http://www.digitalpoint.com/tools/keywords (Mind you this is only for Google)

8.) What is Hidden Text?
A: Text that is visible to the search engine spiders/crawlers but not to people who visit your website. Hidden text is primarily used to add extra keywords in the page without actually adding content to a site which may consist of images. Most of the search engines penalize websites which use hidden text to increase keyword density.

Author: Harish co-founded Varshyl Tech in 2005. As director of operations, he oversees the company's daily operations and develops the strategy for product direction and new product development. Harish has more than five years of experience delivering mission-critical enterprise software solutions for diverse applications such as supply chain management and corporate information delivery systems. Prior to co-founding Varshyl Tech, he was a program analyst with Infosys Technologies Ltd., and also worked as software developer and testing engineer for Microsoft Projects. Harish has significant experience working with Mainframe technology and holds a Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Visvesvaraya Technological University, Karnataka, India. You can also view this and other article by visiting our website http://www.varshyltech.com/home.html

[tags]SEO,FAQ's, search engine optimization, sitemap[/tags]

Marketing Articles Getting A Better Search Engine Rank For All Of Your Pages!

In one of my articles, I discussed how to market your web site link twice. It detailed out how to promote not only www.yoursite.com but how you should also promote your site without the www., like this: http://yoursite.com.

This article is to talk about promoting ALL of your pages within your marketing campaign. See, most of us typically only promote the main page on our sites. Ex. www.yoursite.com. The truth is, your site is much more than just the 1st page right? Well, let's condition ourselves to promote everything available within your site...

Search Engine Marketing is crutial for all companies who want to succeed online. I'm sure at one point or another, you will hear how "Optimizing your site for search engines is crutial". Of course, they aren't fooling you, it is a crutial marketing tactic but, what is also crutial is learning how to use different tools to boost your search engine placements once you've optimized your site for the web.

So let's talk about the marketing tactics available to you and implement strategies on how to promote all your pages within them.

LINK EXCHANGES:

Link popularity has become a norm for most small companies to implement in their daily promoting activities. Here's the problem, most companies that perform link exchanges daily fail to utilize it to their advantage. For ex. Let's say you perform approximately 10 link exchanges daily. For each one, you submitted your link "www.yoursite.com". What you'll want to start implementing is submitting 10 different links within your site.

Ex Link Exchanges:

• Link #1: http://yoursite.com

• Link #2: http://yoursite.com/resources

• Link #3: http://www.yoursite.com/services

• And so on...

A good strategy would be to open up "Note Pad" and create all the links you want to promote.

1. Add each link

2. Assign an appropriate title to each link

3. Create an appropriate description for each link

Now all you have to do is to copy and paste each link when performing your daily link exchanges.

WRITING ARTICLES:

Do you write articles to promote your site??? If you do, then you probably have created a "Resource Box" at the end of each article right??? Good, let's change the resource box a little.

My site is host to 100's of Marketing Articles and the 1 thing I notice time & time again is that each author (no disrespect to any of the wonderful authors) Typically only add the main page of their web site within their "resource box".

Ok, let's say you write articles about "Search Engine Marketing". At the end of the article, add a link to a page on your site that talks about "Search Engine Marketing" or something similar.

Ex. http://www.yoursite.com/search_engine_marketing.html

So with that in mind, try revising all your articles to point to specific pages on your web site.

DIRECTORY SUBMSSIONS:

Submitting your site to directories will give your site long lasting traffic. Not all directories will accept any link from your site besides the main page. This is ok though, there are literally 100's of other directories that will allow you to submit any page you want.

Experiment with this and try to change up all your links when your submitting to directories.

I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND : Using anything other than your main page for directories like: OPD Open Project Directory or Yahoo.

So now you have 3 proven marketing strategies on how to improve your search engine placements for all of your pages instead of only your main page. Be creative with this and look for more strategies you can implement this tactic with.

About The Author

Martin Lemieux
Smartads - President
http://smartads.info/top-10/download

Instantly download any Marketing Article created by Martin Lemieux for use within your web site and/or newsletter: http://smartads.info

Affordable Web Design & Web Site Marketing

support@smartads.info

[tags]articles,article writing,article marketing,seo,traffic building,internet marketing[/tags]

How To Do SEO For Google [Part 3]

In previous 2 articles I have mentioned some common techniques you should avoid before you start building your website. Now, I want to talk about search engine optimization (SEO) techniques you should follow during web development phase.

1. Write pages that clearly and accurately describe your content.

Is not it so simple? Just create useful, information-rich pages and your site will be the only one among millions on Internet. Is not it feels good? So go for it and be unique.

2. Think about the words users would type to find your pages.

This is very important because your site actually should include those words within it. This is all about relevant content. If your website is all about cars, then real estate related phrases will be not for good. It will lower your page rank. Be consistent and you will achieve good results.

3. Make a site with a clear hierarchy and text links.

Google has very simple rule "Every page should be reachable from at least one static text link". I think this what you have to keep in mind. Don't forget about unlinked pages, other wise no one on Internet twill see them. All pages must be linked so people can navigate throw them as well as search engines robots.

4. Check for broken links.

Google bots do not really appreciate opportunity to get to the dead end. I think people are the same. Who want to see an error message saying "Page not found" or something like that? Check you links constantly.

5. Check for correct HTML.

Here is only one-way to follow: use guidelines of World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) or use their W3C markup validation services.

6. Make sure that your TITLE, DESCRIPTION; KEYWORDS tags are descriptive and accurate.

These three meta-tags represent most important tags for Search Engine Optimization. These are tags search engines use to learn about your website in addition to your content. Those tags have to include phrases relevant to your web page.

7. Offer a site map to your users with links that point to the important parts of your site.

Here is a good idea how to tell users as well as search engines how to find page you need on the website. This is very useful when you use image links, java scripts, image maps. Make sure that each page has links number less than hundred. Otherwise, you may want to break the site map into separate pages. This rule applies to any page - keep the links on a given page less than 100.

Follow these search engine optimization guidelines and you will not have problem with your SEO. Of course, there is more stuff to talk about. Stay with me and I will tell you more in next articles.

Piter Gursky is Internet marketing expert who writes for various companies including LogicTechnologies.net (web design company). Don't miss your chance to subscribe to their newsletter and learn how to turn your website into the money making machine. Subscribe now at http://www.LogicTechnologies.net

[tags]Search Engine Optimization, PPC[/tags]

Link Building Tips

Link building is an extremely important part of any online marketing campaign. Since page rankings with the major search engines are influenced by the number, as well as the quality of links that direct traffic to your website, knowing how to formulate and execute a link building campaign is imperative.

The first step in any link building campaign should be to make sure that links exist on sites that you already do business with. It is usually simple to get links in such places, and they will more than likely remain there for quite an extensive amount of time. When starting out, make sure to have links in the following places:

• Vendors and suppliers websites.

• Trade associations.

• The Chamber of Commerce.

• Friends' websites.

• Customers' websites.

• Trade groups and associations websites.

Once your links have been placed with the aforementioned sites, there are numerous other steps that can be taken to efficiently build links.

Directories and Verticals

If you are serious about your website, you will definitely want to have it listed in all of the major directories, and if your website is industry specific, being listed with an appropriate vertical that services your industry will be extremely valuable. Major directories to be listed in include:

• Yahoo

• GoGuides

• Joeant

• DMOZ

• Business

Some of these major directories charge a fee, while some are free of charge, but do take longer to list your link. If you need to find out if your industry is serviced by a vertical, a quick search on the Internet will provide you with the answer.

How to Obtain Links

There are a variety of places, as well as ways in which to obtain links. There always seems to be a difference of opinion among webmasters as to what works and what doesn't work when it comes to link building. You will need to examine your specific needs, as well as what kind success you hope to have with your website in order to determine what will work for you. Some of the ways to obtain links are as follows:

• Unique Content-Having unique content on your site may draw webmasters who place a link to your site on theirs. This is often referred to as a "natural link."

• Reciprocal Links-This is simple, you trade links with another website. This is usually only beneficial if both websites are targeting the same market, but are not in competition with one another. This is commonly referred to as "link trading."

• Writing Articles-Getting articles published online that you write is a great way to build links, as it affords you the opportunity to place a link to your site within the text of the article. Hence, the more articles you write and get published, the more links you will be gaining.

• Message Boards and Blogs- Adding a link within the signature line of posts that you make to message boards and blogs is a good way to get free advertising and build links. However, be sure to only post on high quality sites, and only on those sites that pertain to the essence of your own websites' content.

Another way to find places for your links is to simply search for them! There are virtually thousands of sites that will allow you to place a link for free, or for a very nominal charge. To find these sites, use any major search engine and type in any of the following search phrases:

• "submit a site"

• "submit your site"

• "submit a URL"

• "submit your URL"

• "list a site"

• "add a site"

• "add your site"

• "add a link"

• "add your link"

You will discover many different sites where you can add your link. Do a bit of research, and make sure that you are placing links on quality websites that are offer relevant, authoritative information.

Since there are so many different ways to build links, you are sure to find a way that works great for you, and that will raise the ranking of your website. Remember that it is the quality of links, and not necessarily the quantity of links that is important.

Charles Preston is the president of Click Response. Click Response offers small businesses a search engine optimization service that guarantees 1st page ranking at an affordable price.

[tags]link building, link building tips, seo, search engine optimization, building link popularity, site p[/tags]

Is Overnight SEO Success Still Possible

As the owner of a search engine optimization company, I have seen the SEO industry evolve a great deal over the years but never more dramatically than it is right now. Lately I have noticed signs that the "free ride" of getting easy website traffic from search engines is coming to an end. And that has caused many optimizers and website owners to ask themselves, "Is overnight SEO success still possible?"

In the early years (very early), it sure seemed like it was. One could simply add a bunch of keyword meta tags and get almost instant results. Then, meta tags were out and doorway pages were in.

The next fad was links from any and all sites, the more the better. When relevancy in links became a factor, many webmasters rushed to get link scripts installed and set up link directories with relevant categories.

Then content got a good run for a while. And most recently, text link ads (paid links) became all the rage.

Paid Links: The Straw That Broke Google's Back?

As soon as link popularity became the holy grail of SEO and webmasters began learning how to artificially increase it with paid links, Google began working on filters to stop ranking manipulation. It also seems to have inspired the rumored "aging delay" in which new sites on newly registered domains face long waits to get indexed by the grand daddy of all engines.

While catching cheaters is a good thing, a lot of legitimate, quality sites are also getting caught up in Google's new fishnet. There is plenty of grumbling among webmasters who report waiting up to nine months to appear in the Google rankings for even the most obvious keywords such as their company name.

Yes, getting top rankings in Google is definitely a lot harder (and slower) than it used to be. This is partly because more sites are being indexed and the sheer volume of competition is making it tougher to rise to the top. But that's only part of the picture.

Google and the other engines are hell bent on preventing rankings manipulation, and since they hold all the cards, we'd better learn to play the game by their rules. And that, funnily enough, could mean going back to some of the "no brainer" promotional methods in use four or five years ago, when many of us took our businesses online for the first time. Back then, we did things like distributing articles and press releases and buying ads in relevant publications - not for the incoming links but for the visibility, traffic and credibility they generated. It just made sense.

With overnight SEO success a thing of the past, online business owners/operators not only have to change tactics - they also need to adjust their expectations.

Keeping SEOs on Their Toes

Responsible and workable SEO these days means not wasting your time or money trying to trick the search engines into ranking you highly for keyword phrases that you have no business ranking for in the first place. That's why it's so important before signing on with any optimization company to discuss these new expectations with them. You need to be an informed consumer because there are still SEOs living in the (very recent) past and still deeply committed to paid linking schemes, keyword stuffing, etc.

Now more than ever you as an SEO client need to investigate the optimization companies you're considering. That means pumping them for details not just about their proven results but about their methodology such as keyword selection and link popularity before you pay the deposit.

Another reality check: SEO is going to be a tad more expensive in this new world (unless you are among the few who have the time, skills and resources to do it yourself). Reaching your target audience with interesting and compelling information about your industry is now the best way to achieve link popularity. But it's definitely not as easy, fast or cheap as buying 100 site-wide text link ads or swapping links willy nilly.

If you don't have the resources to produce regular copy about your business or industry, hiring an optimization company that has content writers to do the research and writing for you is probably your best bet. The benefits of greater link popularity AND visibility will be worth it over the long haul.

In Conclusion...

SEO continues to evolve, which these days means we all need to accept that getting top ten placements for competitive terms will not happen overnight nor in one month or even two.

Your task as a responsible SEO consumer is to do careful due diligence in selecting an optimization company. Be wary of any SEO that offers a quick fix, uses dubious tactics, and guarantees #1 rankings. Expect your optimization results to improve gradually over time.

No, overnight SEO success is no longer a reality for competitive keyword phrases but don't let that get you down. It's still worth doing... only now it's worth doing well.

Anyway, the alternative - doing nothing - isn't really an option. It reminds me of a saying hanging on the wall in my karate class: "While you are sleeping, someone else is training to kick your...."

I'll let you guess the rest.

© 2005 www.eTrafficJams.com

About The Author
Michael Pedone eTrafficJams.com A search engine optimization co. specializing in getting targeted, eager-to-buy traffic to your site http://prs10.blogspot.com Build link popularity through RSS feeds http://www.etrafficjams.com/rss-link-popularity.htm.

[tags]overnight seo, seo consumer, link popularity[/tags]

Get Better Search Engine Rankings With RSS

RSS is the latest craze in online publishing. But what  exactly is RSS?

RSS or Rich Site Syndication is a file format similar to XML, and is used by publishers to make their content available to others in a format that can be universally understood.

RSS allows publishers to "syndicate" their content through the distribution of lists of hyperlinks.

It has actually been around for a while, but with the advent of spam filters and online blogging, it is fast becoming the choice of ezine publishers who want to get their message across to their subscribers.

However, not much attention has been given to the advantages RSS provides for search engine optimization.


Why Search Engines Love RSS

Many SEO experts believe that sites optimized around themes,or niches, where all pages correspond to a particular subject or set of keywords, rank better in the search engines.

For example, if your website is designed to sell tennis rackets, your entire site content would be focused around tennis and tennis rackets.

Search engines like Google seem to prefer tightly-themed pages.


But where does RSS figure in all this?

RSS feeds, usually sourced from newsfeeds or blogs, often correspond to a particular theme or niche.

By using highly targeted RSS feeds, you can enhance your site's content without having to write a single line on your own.

It's like having your own content writer - writing theme-based articles for you - for free!


How can RSS improve my Search Engine Rankings?

There are three powerful reasons why content from RSS Feeds is irresistible bait for search engine spiders.


1. RSS Feeds Provide Instant Themed Content

There are several publishers of RSS feeds that are specific to a particular theme.

Since the feed is highly targeted, it could contain several keywords that you want to rank highly for.

Adding these keywords to your pages helps Google tag your site as one with relevant content.


2. RSS Feeds Provide Fresh, Updated Content

RSS feeds from large publishers are updated at specific intervals. When the publisher adds a new article to the feed, the oldest article is dropped.

These changes are immediately effected on your pages with the RSS feed as well. So you have fresh relevant content for your visitors every hour or day.


3. RSS Feeds Result in More Frequent Spidering

One thing I never anticipated would happen as a result of adding an RSS feed to my site was that the Googlebot visited my site almost daily.
To the Googlebot, my page that had the RSS feed incorporated into it was as good as a page that was being updated daily, and in its judgement, was a page that was worth visiting daily.

What this means to you, is that you will have your site being indexed more frequently by the Googlebot and so any new pages that you add to your site will be picked up much faster than your competitors.

How does this benefit you as a marketer?

Well, for example, let's says a top Internet Marketer comes out with a new product that you review and write up a little article on, and that your competitors do the same.

Google generally tends to index pages at the start of the month and if you miss that update, you will probably need to wait till the next month to even see your entry in.

But, since your site has RSS feeds, it now gets indexed more frequently. So the chances of getting your page indexed quickly are much higher.

This gives you an advantage over the competition, as your review will show up sooner in the search results than theirs.

Imagine what an entire month's advantage could do to your affiliate sales!


Why Javascript Feeds Are Not Effective

Some sites offer javascript code that generates content sourced from RSS feeds for your site.

These are of absolutely no value in terms of search engine rankings, as the googlebot cannot read javascript and the content is not interpreted as part of your page.

What you need is code that parses the RSS feed and renders the feed as html content that's part of your page.

This is achieved using server side scripting languages like PHP or ASP.

A good free ASP script is available from Kattanweb
http://www.kattanweb.com/webdev/projects/index.asp?ID=7

An equally good PHP script is CARP
http://www.geckotribe.com/rss/carp/

So in conclusion, besides optimizing on page and off page factors, adding RSS feeds to your pages should be an important part of your strategy to boost your search engine rankings.

Satyajeet Hattangadi is the CEO of Novasoft Inc, a software
solutions provider, that specializes in affordable
customized software solutions. http://www.novasoft-inc.com
Get the Free Email Course "RSS Riches" and learn how to use
RSS to get high search engine rankings and monetize your
website at http://www.trafficturbocharger.com

[tags]RSS, XML,feeds,syndication,SEO, search engine optimization[/tags]

Working Your Way To The Top How To Win The Search Engine War

I remember the first presentation I gave to a client regarding the importance of having a high position in search engines for relevant keyword listings. It was as if I was speaking Swahili, and as a result, I didn't get the business. Much has changed since 1996, as I've become fluent in Swahili and many companies have come to realize the value of visibility in search engines. Instead of spending my time educating prospective clients on the value of search engine marketing (SEM), I'm allaying their anxieties when they're not #1 for "processed cheese spread."

For those of you new to the SEM world, I've outlined key elements any company needs to address to generate results that go directly to the bottom line. Since I'm a fan of alliteration, I've outlined these elements with an "S" theme.

Size
According to Pew Internet & American Life, 59 percent of U.S. households and over 90 percent of businesses have Internet access. According to Jupiter Research, 75 percent of marketing executives that have utilized SEM find it more effective than other forms of marketing. While I haven't used statistics to sell SEM in years, it's still difficult to ignore the overall market opportunity. Some companies believe that search engine visibility is inappropriate or even detrimental to their company or line of business. I disagree with few exceptions. Regardless of business model, your site needs to be visible to a multitude of stakeholders: current or potential customers, employees, press, analysts, investors and local community.

Shape
While Yahoo! has been the perennial the king of search properties, there has been massive consolidation in the market recently. Many of the smaller search engines that popped up in the late 90's have disappeared or been purchased or merged with larger properties. The resulting aggregation means that a company can get their URL in front of 90 percent of all searches by focusing on three of the largest properties: Yahoo!, Google and MSN. There are two ways to get into search engine listings: organically via search engine optimization (SEO) or to buying your way in on a pay-per-click (PPC) basis.

Speed
While generating visibility in organic search results can be cost effective (it's free to submit your URL to Google), there are no guarantees that you will appear in top 10 to 30 results for relevant keyword searches, at least not for a few weeks to months. In fact, without proper optimization of copy and source code, it's very unlikely you'll ever be found at all. On the other hand, you can buy your way into listings via PPC in a week or less. The only downside is that your site will disappear as soon as you stop spending, and that popular search phrases can be prohibitively expensive.

Simplicity
Dominating search results usually takes significant resources. If you don't have experienced, knowledgeable talent in-house, you need to consider one of two options: investing in your team's professional development by signing them up for industry newsletters and events, or hiring a consulting firm that specializes in SEM services. Regardless of your choice, the bottom line is that your primary Web site should do all the heavy lifting. Using technology and trickery (i.e. IP spoofing and redirects) only get you in trouble with search engines. Make sure your Web site copy is keyword-loaded and that your designers minimize the use of Flash, frames and dynamic URLs.

Setup
Before you bring in the big guns for SEM activities, you and your marketing team need to circle the wagons and figure out what you're trying to achieve. Develop SEM objectives based on your overall marketing and business goals. Determine relevant metrics and goals to associate to these objectives. Common metrics include unique visitors, trial downloads, online event registrations, email signups or online sales (e-commerce). Set goals for each of your key metrics and empower the team to succeed.

Stats
How do you know you're choosing relevant metrics and realistic goals? The best way to set up your SEM campaign for success is to create benchmarks based on key criteria. Compare your site's current visibility against that of primary competitors, based on predetermined metrics. The top performing site should set the bar. Launch your SEM efforts with a series of test campaigns to minimize risk and maximize return on investment (ROI). Within weeks, you should be able to validate your original objectives, metrics and associated goals. Effective SEM campaigns take time, so be patient, monitor regularly and be consistent in your efforts.

Shift
Depending on factors like competition, budget or bandwidth limitations, some companies focus exclusively on organic (SEO). On the other hand, other companies spend a majority of their budgets on PPC, as it can be easier to generate large amounts of qualified traffic in a short amount of time. The ideal scenario, however, is to figure out a balanced mix of both. For target keyword phrases for which you'd like to achieve a high ranking, but SEO is not making the grade, turn to PPC. On the converse, for keyword phrases where you already have a high position organically, reallocate the PPC budget accordingly. Either way, the best approach is always to start small and build momentum.

Succeed
As the old adage goes, "I know half of my advertising budget is working, but I don't know which half." Without accurate Web analytics software, you're relegated to a guessing game. Rather than extrapolating or resorting to animal sacrifice, implement ROI tracking via third party applications like WebTrends, HitBox or ClickTracks. Configured properly, Web analytics will tell you how much money you're making off of SEM efforts. For example, for every dollar one of my hospitality clients spends on SEO and PPC, they generate five dollars in return. Put a cherry on top by integrating SEM into your overall marketing mix. Coordinating public relations, advertising and direct marketing efforts with search engine marketing has a compounding effect that generates even greater success.

By addressing the eight "S's" outlined above, your company will see a surefire success, if implemented properly. Knowledge is power, and profit, in the search engine marketing business. You can even take Swahili classes with the extra money you'll make.

Kent Lewis, President, Anvil Media, Inc.
With a background in integrated marketing, Lewis left a public relations agency in 1996 to start his search engine marketing career. Since then, he has focused on helping clients solve business problems via the Internet. Lewis founded Anvil Media, Inc. in 2000 to help clients enhance their Web site performance, increase their visibility and generate sales online. He was also Director of Marketing and Business Development at goodguys.com, an online electronics retailer. Lewis is creator and Editor-in-Chief of Anvil, a free monthly e-zine and is an adjunct professor at Portland State University. He speaks regularly on emarketing-related topics at industry conferences like Search Engine Strategies. Lewis sits on the board for Portland Advertising Federation and is actively involved in local charitable organizations. He recently founded Anvil's Annual Get SMART Gala event to raise awareness for children's literacy. Lewis received Portland Business Journal's Top 40 Under 40 Award in 2004.

[tags]search,engine,optimization,SEO,marketing,internet,visibility,Web,SEM,tips,tricks,suggestions,anvil[/tags]

Search Engine Optimization Is A Responsible Job

Millions of people go to different search engines for information about different websites that could provide them with what they are looking for. A user looking for 'white flower', when taken to a page that contains a small statement about white flower and is selling artificial flowers may leave the site soon. Coming back to the search engine, retyping the search phrase and visiting another website, is what happens next. Seeing similar results will make the user come back to the search engine and type in the phrase using other words or say more specific search 'natural white flowers'. This could result in more relevant search results.

Such things happen because of many reasons, one of them is when a user types in a word, the search engine robots gives results based on the quality of the page that also talks about the subject. However when the user makes a more specific search like 'buying natural white flowers' then the results pages would be from websites selling natural white flowers. Search Engine Optimization is all about providing a visitor with the right kind of information in the right format. A search engine optimizer's (SEO) job is to get the right visitor to the right page. This is where the whole planning starts with. From the stats available in inventory.overture.com, one can understand some basic idea of the user behavior.

My way of looking at it is before designing the page, during the process of content building of the page a SEO first needs to understand the theme of the page, what it delivers, who are the right visitors for this page etc. Then start building in the keyword list from there. Use keywords effectively, once in the title, once in the description, once in the header, once in the first 100 characters, once in the second paragraph. Always remember an SEO needs to be very clear about the responsibility they have upon their shoulders when they make someone visit that particular page through a search engine. An SEO is responsible for not delivering the visitors what they want.

If this problem persists then the SEO needs to rework on the keyword list. Try using keywords relevant to the page theme and not target traffic, since all of us, the company or the visitor of a webpage is looking for right information and right gateway.

It's not just about link building, it's about building the right contents for the right people in the right format.

Regards
Pankaj J
mailto:pankajvjain@gmail.com

[tags]SEO, Search Engine Optimization basics[/tags]

Search Engine Keywords - What Do People Search For

Do you ever wonder how people search for things on the Internet? What if you knew exactly what words they typed when using a search engine? If you're marketing a product or service it's extremely insightful to know what are the most popular search terms relating to whatever you're marketing.

The Overture Company

Overture.com is a Yahoo! company that supplies the Pay Per Click infrastructure for Yahoo! and other websites on the Internet. If you do a search on Yahoo! you'll see anywhere from 1-3 paid promotions appear at the top of the search page and then others at the end. These are paid advertiser listings and they come from Overture.

The Overture Search Tool

In order to maximize the number of clicks on their network, Overture supplies a keyword tool so that their customers know which are the most popular keywords relating to their product of service. This way when an Overture customer selects keywords to advertise on, they can pick the ones that are most popular or the ones that most precisely relate to their product or service. This generates more revenue for Overture and more clicks for advertisers.

Anyone Can Use the Search Tool

Fortunately you don't have to be a customer of Overture to use the search tool. Click Here (http://www.content.overture.com/d/USm/ays/) to find the search tool; it's at the bottom of the page.

How to Use the Search Tool

The best way to get started is to type in a major word associated with your business. For example if you're in the marketing business, here's the top 10 search terms and their search count.

Search Count Term

1253354 direct marketing

460115 internet marketing

380450 marketing

76542 business marketing small

48494 email marketing

44160 marketing web site

43064 advertising marketing

42613 network marketing

42414 business marketing

31484 health care marketing

This search count number represents about 20% of the Internet so multiply it by 5 to get an approximate number of searches for the entire web, i.e. the total searches for email marketing are 48494*5=242470 searches across the Internet every month.

How to Use the Data

The value of this search tool goes far beyond just determining popular search terms. Here's a few ways to use the tool for market research:

• Type in your state or city to find out the most popular searches

• Compare the number of searches for your product compared to those of your competitors

• Use the most popular search terms relating to your business for your web site domain names to increase their visibility in search engines.

• Use it to brainstorm new products or services, especially if something is being searched for but is not widely available

• Considering a celebrity endorsement or joint venture partner for your next Internet promotion, compare the various candidates and make an informed decision.

• Use it for determining market size or segmentation information for your business plan.

• Use it to drive all your web content, from web page titles to Meta Tag keywords and descriptions.

• Use it to determine which categories to list your business, from Internet to Yellow Page listings.

• Use it to determine important searches relative to your business in foreign cultures and countries that you are unfamiliar with.

Make Informed Decisions from Now On

The Overture Search tool takes the guesswork out of many of your marketing decisions, from choosing Pay Per Click keywords, to determining the next market your company should pursue. Take a look today and you'll be amazed at the wealth of information that is available. You can try the search tool now on the Overture website at the following URL http://www.content.overture.com/d/USm/ays/.

About The Author

Bryan Brandenburg has published 5 books as well as a number of articles both in print and on the internet. He has published almost 30 software programs both for consumers and business. More information can be found at www.vmmg.net.

[tags]seo,search engines,keyword,overture[/tags]

SEO, Article Writing, And The Quest For The Google Grail

You want more potential customers to your website. You want more back links to your website. You want better position in the natural search engine results. You want your products or services to become better know and your brand name to be recognized. All of these things are possible with a little work and the right knowledge. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) techniques fill countless books being sold on the Internet and there are hundreds of companies and individuals who make a living selling their expertise in this area.

The SEO experts will tell you about on-page optimization, meta tags, keyword density and internal link structure. They will also tell you about off-page optimization, back links, relevant links, reciprocal links, high PR links. All of this information is important and should be addressed in your overall SEO endeavors. You want to cover all the bases in your goal to reach the front page of search results in the big 3 search engines (Google, Yahoo and MSN) for your most important keywords.

But of all the techniques used for SEO, the most important today, are the back links or incoming links you have to your website. Your SEO endeavors will succeed or fail depending on how many other sites on the internet link back to your site. So how do you get other sites to link to your site? Write articles!

Now let's talk about writing articles to increase the incoming links to your site. While this method is still not widely known or used by the vast majority of website owners, it is one of the best ways to increase the incoming links to your site. First, it's free! If you can write even a little, you can produce an article that will increase your links and make your products, services or website more visible on the web. You don't want to write a sales letter. You want to write an article that is somehow related to what you sell or the service you offer. You should write an article that shares your knowledge in a particular area and provides valuable information to your reader.

If you can't write a lick or would rather spend your time doing other things, there are many places on the Internet where you can hire a writer to do the job for you. One of the better sites out there is elance.com, but there are many other sites you can chose from. You'll be surprised at how inexpensively you can have an article written for you. The going rate seems to be $10 to $20 an article. Of course you'll have to chose your writer carefully. Get some examples of the work they have done for others and pay close attention to the ratings they have from past customers. Make sure they understand you are looking for a ghost writer and that the articles must be original work. Also make sure it is understood that you will have exclusive rights to the article and they may not use this article for another client. After you have selected a writer to write your article, you must convey the subject and the kind of article you want him or her to write. Be as specific as possible to get the best results. The writer should also be willing to make changes if the first draft isn't exactly what you wanted. This is pretty standard but worth mentioning before the writing begins. Payment is usually made when the job is finished and you are satisfied with the results.

Ok, now you have an article or 10, what do you do with them? You submit your articles to Article Directories. There are hundreds of Article Directories on the Internet. They provide a service to writers and publishers. For article writers they will list your articles for free and provide a bio box at the bottom of the article where you can promote your product, service or website with links back to your site. These articles are then syndicated to publishers of blogs, ezines, newsletters and websites who are looking for content. Each time a publisher picks up your article they must agree to publish it with the bio box and the links back to your site. Over time, one well written article can bring you hundreds of back links to your site. This is a viral method of site promotion. Your article will spread like a virus over the Internet, giving you name and brand recognition and those most important incoming links.

Christianna Mansfield has been an Internet entrepreneur and business woman for over 10 years. For more information on Articles and Article Directories visit ArticleObsession.com

[tags]SEO,articles,links,search,Google,promotion,viral[/tags]

SEO Link Generation Get Hundreds Of Free Links Quickly

The generation of hundreds of SEO links pointing at your site is actually much easier than you think. And you can do it all legally using search engine approved methods.

Like everything else in life, all you have to do is develop a system that works and then work the system. Here is an extremely creative SEO link generation system that I have started using on one of my blogs with powerful results.

Use This Kind of SEO Link Baiting Article As A Generation Tool All you have to do to get this fascinating SEO link generation tool working for you is get involved in the current main conversation in your particular industry or the one that is most closely related to your topic and target market clientele. There are several ways you can do this, one of them is by visiting the Technorati.com site that monitors blogs. Then you have to present a convincing argument totally disagreeing with what they are saying.

Post this article at your blog and if you've done your homework correctly, watch the link activity that follows.

Use These Lists As Your Secret SEO Link Generation Tool Lists are very useful things in SEO link generation. And what's more they are very easy to make. Just go through you recent content and you are bound to find plenty of opportunities for lists. For instance in a recent post you may have talked about the availability of software to carry out a certain task. You can easily make a list of the top ten sources for the software you are talking about. Do not link to their sites, simply mention them.

Then do a polite brief email to the 10 software people you have mentioned informing them that you've mentioned them in a recent post, asking them to check it out. You can then suggest to them how linking to the post can enhance greatly enhance their image in the eyes of persons visiting their site.

Don't worry if most of the people do not reply to your email or refuse to link to you. Always remain polite and professional. Thank webmasters who decline to link to you and wish them the best. And most of all keep your lists as they are. Remember that well compiled lists are valuable resources that easily attract links from others over time.

Making lists is a powerful SEO link generation strategy. Just make sure that you are thinking lists and making lists all the time and you'll accumulate links at a blinding speed. Do ensure that your lists are as interesting and valuable as possible.

Get other valuable SEO link generation methods used by the author in his free email newsletter. To subscribe send a blank email now to articlesrgold-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Or visit his blog.

[tags]SEO link generation[/tags]

Search Engine Marketing 101

There are eight elements that are required to get listed and ranked by major Search Engines and Directories, like Google, MSN, AOL, Yahoo, Excite, Looksmart, Lycos, Netscape, All-The-Web, Ask Jeeves and many others.

Those elements are: Statistics, Content, Meta Tags, Submission, Reporting, Links, Tweaking and Patience.

Getting listed and ranked by major search engines does not happen by sheer luck. It takes some organic (on-going) effort. Web site owners who wish their sites to show up, when people are searching the engines uisng keyrwords/phrases, need to pay close attention to, and address the following major elements.

Statistics - The first step is to monitor your web site and see how much traffic you are currently getting and from what sources. How much traffic comes from Search Engines and which ones produce the most traffic is critical information. You can automate this process using tools such as Web Trends. Analyzing the traffic report can also tell you a lot about its. For example, if you find out that most people are "entering" to your home page and "exiting" from home page, that tells you that visitors do not find your site serious, or attractive, and you need to improve the look&feel of the site, or improve its usability.

Content - Your web pages should be content rich. This means that your pages must be well written and based on the keywords and phrases that best describe your company's products or services. As an example, if you make "copper jacketed clamps" and "heavy duty vises", you need to write a web page specifically for those phrases and other keywords/phrases related to your business.

Meta Tags - Meta tags are the HTML codes that go at the beginning of your web page that list your title, description, keywords/phrases, and other important elements. Not all Search Engines use Meta tag information. However, the ones that do will rank your web site high, if you use the proper tags.

Submission - Submission is the manual process that requires submitting your URLs to the Search Engines in which you want to be listed (indexed) in. After you submit, some Search Engines can take weeks or months before your web pages are indexed. You will want to submit every month or so until you see that your web pages are being listed. When you do get listed, your listing might start out low, but with on-going tweaking, your pages should rise up higher in the rankings.

Reporting - Keep a monthly record of your ranking for each keyword/phrase on all the Search Engines you submitted your site to. Using this report you will always know how well the pages are ranked. Over time, this report will help you determine if you need to make any further changes to your pages to improve their ranking.

Links - Creating links going from your site to other sites, links on your pages (linking pages within your site), and links from other Web sites that directly point back to your web pages are very important. The more specific (based on your keyword/phrase) these links are for a particular page, the higher ranking you will get on Search Engines like Google and others.

Tweaking - It might take a few months before your pages are indexed by the search engines. Once they are indexed, and positioned, it will be time to decide what changes are necessary in order to obtain an even higher ranking. Remember, it is an organic process. These changes might require modification to the page content, and tweaking the HTML code and Meta tags.

And finally, Patience - Getting your pages to rank high on the major Search Engines will take patience and persistence. The process of making your pages Search Engine friendly (optimized) is an organic process. Therefore, one has to stay with the process for as long as it takes. The results are well worth the effort.

Hadi Shavarini is the General Manager and co-founder of Blue Robin Inc.- Building eBusiness Infrastructures. Hadi has been involved with web development since mid '90s. http://www.bluerobininc.com

[tags]SEO, search engine optimization, search engine marketing, web site optimization[/tags]

SEO - All About Links

What is SEO? We call it, Search Engine Optimization – a process or method to gain higher positions on major search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN by searching the targeted keywords and phrases to increase online visitors, customers and inquiries to a particular website which is to be optimized for its web promotion, services offered by web development and search engine optimization companies.

Major Techniques and methods used in search engines optimization for a website are meta tags placement in website code, alternative tags (alt tags), directories submission which could be free or paid, link building or link popularity services which includes one-way links and link exchanging campaigns to increase the website popularity in search engines.

Now, let us elaborate these technique one by one -
1. Meta Tags Placement – these are the tags used to define website title, description and keywords to search engine spiders or crawlers for fast indexing in search engines which can be appear in organic listing on searching any keywords or key phrase for a website. Meta tags are basically used to show your keywords and phrases to the search engines and to online visitors that what services you are offering.

2. Directories Submission – submitting a site to free directories like dmoz and paid directories like yahoo directory which is the most important technique to raise your website up in search engines. There are thousand of free submission website and paid directories on internet. Directory submissions will make a website link popular by giving listing to that website in their directory category or categories. Like if you have submitted your website in 500 directories, then your website link is 500 times popular, if got listed. It means your website is being popular to the online visitors.

3. Link Popularity – the techniques includes one-way link service and link exchanging services. One way links are those link directed to your website on any other website which is not so easy to gain and helps in making more back links to a website. Second one is link exchanging which is a partnership between two websites. We can simply say it exchanging of links which is also good method to increase website back links. So, by both methods in link popularity services, we make our link listed on other website, means giving website links to get popular to online customers and visitors. There are so many websites that are looking for link exchange campaigns for the their websites and also buy one way links with web pages that have a higher Google page rank.

Nowadays, Blogs and articles are also a good source in website promotion. We are saying search engine optimization process is website promotion. So, we have to understand what really website promotion is – promotion of website means promotion of your website link.

How can a visitor come to your website?
Simply by clicking your website link – what matters from where? No one can predict the customer.

Even from major search engines point of view, if you have higher no. of relevant links pointing to your website, then you can win on search engines with your targeting keywords and key phrases. That's why it is concluded that its all about Links - your own website links which is to be popular to achieve ranking on search engine listing.

Note – These are only my thoughts and views about this context.

Amit Verma is with Neuronimbus software services providing Custom Website Design and SEO Services worldwide as Sr. Internet Marketing Executive and writes about Search Engine Optimization. Currently working on Swiftravel International providing Tour Packages in India.

[tags]seo,search engine optimization,web promotion,directories submission,link popularity,link exchange[/tags]

Increase Your Page Rank Through SEO

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) must be considered a process and over time you can build your ranking and traffic.

Remember, "Rome wasn't built in a day."

This article provides 10 SEO tips that will build your search engine rank.

1. Title

The Title is (usually) the hyperlink provided in the search results so make sure it's people friendly. Put the most important keyword first, followed by the 2nd…If you need to have your Company name there (branding), put it at the end.

2. Meta descriptions

Use the keywords once or twice in your Meta description. It can be the text that shows up in the description area of the search engine results.

3. H Tags (and proper use)

Have your keywords in an H1 tag at the top of your page embedded in a good description. Not only will it help your rankings but many times the search engines will actually display it in their results.

4. Keyword positioning (on the page)

Have your main keywords high up in the page (the higher the better). The most valuable real estate on a web page is top left corner – people (& engines) read left to right starting from the top.

5. Number and Quality of inbound links

Each link from another web site acts like a vote of confidence – A link implies that the site believes your site has value.

However, all links are not equal. You must get links from sites that have a similar theme to yours ONLY! Anything else may actually hurt your page rank.

6. Linking Text/Description

When building a link campaign, make sure to use keywords in the link. For example, a link with "click here" doesn't help you with search engines. A link such as "Internet Marketing" is much more effective (if that's your keyword).

Also, don't forget to use keywords in your linking description as well.

For the most thorough ebook on developing a strong linking campaign read Jack Humphrey's "Power Linking 2: Evolution!" (http://www.money-teacher.com/PL2.htm)

7. Content is "King"

Not only is quality content what people are looking for, but content is also what the search engines are looking for. Content is basically "food" for the search engines.

IMPORTANT: DO NOT try to "trick" search engines with useless content. Not only won't this work, but it will bother potential customers. Also, while you want to mention your keyword, DO NOT "keyword stuff". A too high word density will penalize you – make it natural.

8. File size

Keep file size as small as possible. It will make for faster loading pages, happier visitors and the search engines like them.

9. Bold & Italic

It's good practice to highlight your keywords in your copy a few times, but don't overdo it.

10. Alt tags in image links

Search engines can read text but they can't see a pictures. Putting in Alt text for a graphic tells the search engine what it is about and also helps people who have their graphics turned off. Make sure to put your keywords in your Alt tags.

Here is an example:

Once your site is optimized for the search engines, you can then start submitting your site. Practice these tips and over time you will see your search engine rank increase.

Copyright 2004 Adam Waxler

About The Author

Adam Waxler owns and operates The Money Teacher web site and publishes The Money Teacher's Home Business Tips Newsletter teaching others how to reach online success. To get your free newsletter subscription send a blank email to: newsletter@money-teacher.com or visit our web site at http://www.money-teacher.com.

[tags]search engine optimization, search engine optimization services, search engine optimization service[/tags]

Build Link Popularity The Smart Way

A Brief Introduction To Link Popularity

As webmasters research various ways to get more traffic to their site one method that is gaining more and more publicity is Link Popularity. Link Popularity is the number of links that point to your website as measured by the search engines. In theory if your site has many sites linking to it then it is considered to be a valuable resource on the particular topic so the search engines will give it a higher ranking.

The Problem

As with many rules/laws eventually people found a way to manipulate it. Sites were created solely to build the link popularity of other sites. These sites are called 'Link Farms' and contributed to the pollution of search engine results. They increased the search engine rankings of many sites that did not deserve the position they received.

Eventually the search engines caught on to this deception and some such as Google adjusted their algorithms accordingly. Google now penalizes websites associated with Link Farms imposing penalties they deem appropriate based on the site and the scenario. Many people that felt the effects of this penalization were fairly innocent, well that is if you consider ignorance to be an alibi. They simply did not know that what they were doing was wrong; some even paid for SEO services and were victims of bad services.

As the search engines change their algorithms aiming to reduce fraudulent activities by webmasters, more and more ways are conceived to manipulate them, and so the battle continues.

An Honest Link Building Strategy

Getting quality links to your site from related resources is not always as easy as some make it sound. The key word here is 'quality'. It is a very time consuming process and involves the following steps:

• Search for quality sites that are related to yours.

• Contact the Webmaster of the related site.

• Wait for a response from them.

• Swap links if the response is positive.

There are also some automated methods of doing this that speed up the process, however, I would not recommend any of them and hence won't list them in this article.

So you have started your link building campaign and are hopefully seeing the results. Now you say this is great but how can I make this process more efficient and effective without risking your good standings with the search engines.

Here is the solution.

The Smart Way To Build Link Popularity.

One thing webmasters are always looking for, and find hard to refuse, is good quality content. If you are knowledgeable on a particular topic that is related to your site, writing informative articles is a great way to gain your website additional link popularity. If you are reading this article and are not reading it on http://www.lilengine.com then there is your proof.

If you don't consider yourself a writer don't worry, you don't have to be. Get your article in the best shape you possibly can and then have others, who you consider to be better at writing than you are, look it over. Make your edits and there you go.

How is writing articles efficient and effective?

Well-written articles do take time to produce but as you write more you will get better and will find that it starts to take less and less time. This method offers several more benefits than the linking method listed above. These are as follows:

• Articles are, in most cases, permanent additions to sites.

• Writing Articles demonstrates your knowledge of various industry related topics and this helps to build credibility.

• If users are interested enough to read your entire article then there's a very good chance that they will click on your link to visit your site in hopes of learning more or even just out of curiosity.

• You are able to include several links with articles. You can have several links in the resource box also known as the bylines as well as in any 'appropriate' spots in the article.

• You have the 'option' of including your affiliate links in the article if it includes information on that resource.

• You also get to add this content to your own website.

• If you include reprint information in the bylines then others that read the article, and feel it would be a valuable addition to their site, will add it and then it becomes almost viral. It spreads even though you are not doing a thing.

Summary

Building link popularity is a vital part to your search engine ranking and should be approached in either of the two methods listed above that you feel is more appropriate for your individual situation. The benefits from writing, however, far outweigh those of requesting reciprocal links in most situations. Hopefully this article has helped to shed some light on this and will encourage more knowledgeable people to start sharing their knowledge with others. For more information on Link Popularity visit http://www.lilengine.com

About The Author

Alec Duncan is the founder of http://www.lilengine.com, a search engine optimization resource site. Visit http://www.lilengine.com and also visit their new Web Hosting resource section at http://webhosting.lilengine.com.

[tags]Link,web directories,article,targeted visitors, page rank,link popularity,seo,site promotion,traffic[/tags]

What Is PR A Guide For Newbees

What is PageRank?

PageRank is Google's measure of importance assigned to a web page on a scale of 1 to 10. You can check the PageRank value of any page by downloading the Google Toolbar (http://toolbar.google.com/).

This article is intended at understanding PageRank and providing an insight into its different aspects.

Pagerank is as the name suggests a ranking system of pages. It works on the basis that if a website ABC.COM has been linked from a website XYZ.COM, abc.com must have some good content and therefore Google will count the link from XYZ.COM as a vote for ABC.COM. You can check your Pagerank on Google by downloading the Google toolbar from http://toolbar.google.com

The Pagerank™ scale goes from 1 to 10 on the Google toolbar and from 1 to 7 beside listings in the Google directory. A less important site is of course a site with a PR of 1 and a very very important site is a site with a PR of 7 or 10, in the directory or toolbar respectively.

The more links or votes a site has the more important it must be and therefore the higher it will rank for search words which it is relevant to, right?, WRONG!.

Google does not simply count the number of incoming links a page has, if that was the case every webmaster from Iceland to Vietnam would try and exchange links to every Tom, Dick and Harry website that would let them. In Googles own words:

"Google looks at more than the sheer volume of votes, or links a page receives; it also analyzes the page that casts the vote. Votes cast by pages that are themselves "important" weigh more heavily and help to make other pages "important."

Hopefully your beginning to get the idea. The idea is to have your page linked to by as many high quality and high pageranked sites as possible. Right? RIGHT and WRONG.

WRONG BECAUSE, you see the Google Pagerank system also takes into account the number of links the page that has linked to you has. The reasoning for this is that a page X has a certain amount of voting PR, if your site Y is the only link from that page X, then Google feels confident that page X thinks your page Y is the best link it has and will give you more PR. If however page X has 50 links, page X could think your only the 50th best link. Hence the more links a page has the less of a PR boost your site will get.

RIGHT BECAUSE, linking to a site with a 6+ PR will provide a significant boost to your PR in most cases, but in cases where the site also links with 100 other sites the boost will be almost zero. Likewise if a site has a PR of just 2 but you and only one other site are linked from it, then the PR boost would be more than the site with 100 links and a PR of 6.

Source: HiiFii Web Services - www.hiifii.com

Amit Bhawani HiiFii Webservices - http://www.hiifii.com

[tags]page rank , google , backlinks , SEO , articles , ranking , free[/tags]

An Ethical Alternative To Doorway Pages

Definition: A doorway page is content created specifically for the purpose of garnering high placements in the search engines.

Issue: Google makes the following specific recommendation: Avoid "doorway" pages created just for search engines or other "cookie cutter" approaches such as affiliate programs with little or no original content (http://www.google.com/intl/az/webmasters/guidelines.html).

This article addresses the issue of doorway pages, proposes an acceptable alternative and offers some insights into the basic principles of search engine optimization.

To frame the issue of doorway pages it is important to understand why content is so critical to search engine optimization. In order to do this we need to step back and take a look at the search engines themselves:

• Google, Yahoo, MSN, and all other search engines want to provide the same thing: A prioritized list of links that point to most relevant web sites satisfying the users search criteria.

• Relevance is defined as the "best content" with the "best fit" to the user's search. That's a search engine's value – providing efficient access to the information a user wants when they want it.

• The search engine that does the best job of delivering the largest quantity of the most relevant results attracts the most users.

• Obviously speed, ease-of-use and "marketing" impact popularity but in the end the quality of the results counts most.

The best way for you to get long-term results is by "partnering" with the search engines. Partnering means recognizing and supporting the value-proposition that the search engines provide to their end-users:

• Provide lots of highly relevant content

• Follow accepted (i.e. ethical) search engine optimization principles

Is there an alternative? Sure, like many situations there are always short cuts and quick fixes that purport to let you "game the system." Instead of partnering with the search providers you compete with them. By "compete" I mean all the effort (and dollars) expended to chase their constantly evolving algorithms and artificially increase your site's rankings. These techniques may get you short-term results but many are considered the equivalent of "spamming" and could get your site de-listed. From a search engine providers point of view, anything that gets better results for sites with inferior content (and fit) is compromising their product and is temporary until they tune their algorithm so that it correctly ranks your site (down).

One of these shortcuts is the use of "doorway pages." The rest of this article discusses the use of doorway pages and recommends an alternative approach.

What is a doorway page?

Doorway pages are pages of content that have been specifically designed to achieve high rankings in the search engines. They are often used by websites that don't have an abundance of content within the main pages of their site due to technology issues or design conflicts. They can be an effective tool for garnering short-term placement in search engine rankings when used appropriately, but doorway pages have been abused by websites for many years, to the point that they are frowned upon by search engines who now attempt to exclude them from their result pages.

What does a "Doorway Page" look like?

A doorway page appears as if it was built specifically to attain high search engine placement, and offers little value to searchers. It often has the following characteristics: o A lot of poorly written content, with an abundance of hyperlinked phrases in the body text

o Copy that is stuffed with lists of keywords

o Zero (0) in-bound links from other parts of the website Example: you build a doorway page named "targeted-keyword.html," but do not link to this page from any other part of your website. Google assumes no in-bound links exist because this page is of little value, and you want to hide it from regular visitors to its site.

o A "redirection" that automatically loads a new page once the doorway pages is accessed

Bottom line: A doorway page stands alone from your website, and offers little value to searchers

If any of those characteristics exist on the page, and if a number of these pages are created within a single website, Google is likely to discount their value, or worse, ban the site.

If doorway pages are inappropriate then what is a better alternative?

The "essay page"

An essay page, on the other hand, is integrated into the main website (although not into the navigation structure). It offers real value to the searcher because the content is relevant and well-written. It often has the following characteristics:

o Clean HTML coding with an HTML design similar to that of other pages of the website

o A lot of content, with several hyperlinked phrases in the body text

o Several in-bound links from other parts of the website

Example: On the solutions page, you hyperlink the phrase "targeted keyword," to the targeted-keyword.html essay page.

o Quality content that offers real value to the searcher

Bottom line: An essay page is a natural extension of your website. For all intents and purposes, it is integrated content more than it is a doorway page, because it expands on a certain subject.

Will you benefit from using essay pages?

Essay pages used effectively can be good solutions when a site's navigation does not support the addition of content, or if it would be difficult to develop valuable content to include within the main navigation. If this is not the case I recommend that you add additional pages of content (which will provide more benefits than essay pages), while enhancing the user experience.

Summary and Recommendation

The creation and proper integration of additional content is critical to the ability to achieve consistent top 10 rankings on the most targeted keywords. Essay pages can be valuable when a website cannot be easily scaled to include more content through the main navigation structure. However, the first priority should be increasing content as much as possible before resorting to essay pages.

Over time, your more sophisticated competitors will compete for placement by incorporating significant content, and by implementing important search engine optimization features, not by using essay (or doorway) pages.

If you've adopted an aggressive "doorway page" strategy, it's possible (and maybe likely) that a competitor would report it to Google. If Google determines that you have violated their "rules," you could be "de-listed".

As a result of the risk that doorway pages pose and the benefits integrating additional relevant content provides, I strongly recommend the approach of reevaluating your navigation structure, and adding additional pages of relevant content if possible. From a search engine ranking point of view – content is not king, but relevant content sure is.

Scott Smigler has been an evangelist for a serious, ROI-based focus on the online channel since he founded Exclusive Concepts in 1997. Exclusive Concepts provides integrated online marketing strategies, Internet brand consulting, search engine marketing campaigns and results-oriented web sites for hundreds of clients that range in size from small ecommerce firms to public companies.

Visit Scott's website: http://www.exclusiveconcepts.com

[tags]doorway pages, seo, essay pages, search engine optimization, search engine rankings[/tags]

Good And Bad SEO Practices

Search Engine Optimizing is a set of practices developed to help you get a high traffic and PageRank, while simultaneously building a useful and functional website that will respond to the needs of your potential users. While some website owners are getting their site indexed by following and enhancing these guidelines, others are looking for a way to sneak in and crawl up search engines by developing various strategies to cheat spiders.

Most search engines have their specific rules on which SEO practices are legitimate and which are not. While they disagree on some borderline issues, they do have a set of basic principles in common.

Good SEO Practices

• creating logically-structured pages
• logical paragraph use
• including a site map
• providing clear links to each page
• using descriptive and not too long meta-tags
• validating you code
• providing information-rich content that visitors would find useful
• creating your website content based on the users' needs as if search engines didn't exist
• using spell-check
• avoiding duplicate content

Bad SEO Practices

• using invisible text and links to create false keyword density
• using non-compliant HTML to manipulate relevancy (e.g.: a title that doesn't have anything to do with the page content)
• using CSS to manipulate relevancy (e.g.: using hidden elements by executing code to reveal them)
• sending automated requests to search engines
• using doorway pages created just for search engines
• using machine generated code to produce keyword-rich content
• cloaking - presenting a different content to users than to search engine spiders
• linking to spammers and other bad websites
• participating in linking schemes to increase PageRank
• creating pages that install viruses and other badware
• using unauthorized software to submit pages, check ranking etc.
• re-submitting the website without any reason

Borderline Issues

• inserting comments in the HTML code
• using invisible form elements to hold keyword values
• using HTML elements for keyword stacking (e.g.: image alts)
• using machine generated code for usability reasons (e.g.: in order to check for browser versions)

These borderline issues are controverted and ambiguous techniques. Most of the time it is very difficult to say whether these techniques were used to trick the spiders or only for usability purposes. The search engine is the one who has to make the ultimate decision.

Major search engines are constantly fighting against illicit techniques to get your website indexed and increase your PageRank and developing new and improved automated solutions to detect them. They even encourage users to report any website that is trying to abuse SEO guidelines. Thus using illegitimate ways to crawl up search engines may result in your website being banned. Once it's been removed from the search engine index, it will no longer appear in search results.

Google, as well as other search engines, are trying to develop a pro-active attitude among website owners and convince them it's more efficient to make use of legitimate SEO practices. One thing you should always ask yourself when building new features and writing content is whether you would be doing it even if search engines weren't there at all. This is the best way to drive traffic to your website and get better ranking.

Copyright © 2006 Andreas Obermueller

About the Author:

Andreas Obermueller is webmaster of Hit4Biz.com - Marketing Related Information and recommends Marble Host as reliable Web Host.

[tags]SEO practices, optimizing, search engine, spiders, crawlers, crawl up search engines, pagerank[/tags]

Don't Waste Linking Opportunities By Misusing Link Exchanges

Only a couple of years ago the 'Link Exchange' was quite new and an excellent place for savvy webmasters to exchange quality links with those who were like-minded. Many Link Exchanges, mostly based on the original few, have sprung up promising an unending stream of reciprocal links with as many sites as you dare dream. There's no problem with this however, they must be used correctly to be of much benefit.

Firstly, it's no great secret that the majority, if not all, who practice reciprocal linking do so in order to improve their PR (Google Page Rank), which in turn, can have a definite effect on one's rankings in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages). The actual degree of this effect is anyone's guess as Google have always been extremely secretive about anything regarding the algorithms or components, which decide the SE ranking of any given website (or page for that matter).

PR alone will not do it for you, but I have seen too much evidence that it does definitely help your rankings when you have a 'good' PR provided that the links pointing to your site are from related websites (i.e. sites with similar content whose visitors would be interested in your site). An incoming link is seen as a recommendation or 'vote of confidence' from a website, so the higher the PR of the PAGE the link is from (not just the Home or Index page), the more weight the 'recommendation' from that website carries. So, the upshot is, PR is the reason, result and purpose behind webmasters spending so much time, money and resources building reciprocal and/or incoming links.

To make your efforts and costs more efficient, you need to ensure that you use the Link Exchanges correctly. When you don't, you waste so much time (and that of those you request links from) and you also blow your chance for a good, high PR link a little later down the track.

Most webmasters, when they first list with an Exchange, generally have either a low PR or none at all. Many then proceed to request links from as many sites as their membership allows. Sadly, far too many of them request links from websites, which are not related in the slightest way however, that's not why we're here today. I'd be "flogging a dead horse" if I took up that particular issue (again!). Simply, it seems to me there are still millions out there who, for some reason, think a link from a Lung Cancer website will assist their Poker/Gambling site in the SERPs or a link from a Diet website will help their Real Estate site! I can't understand the mentality…

But I digress (as is one of my faults), back to the issue at hand. Obviously, when requesting links from other sites, you need to take account of the PR issue, as it stands at that time. If you have no PR or a PR1, there is not much chance of being 'granted' a reciprocal link from a PR5 site or page. The problem is, if you request such a link while you're still in the 'low PR' bracket, that site will forever be listed as "requested but rejected", you don't get a second chance once your PR improves. So, six months later, when you have a PR4 (through much sensible and hard work), you can't ask again, the chance is gone.

When you are a PR1 or 2, only request links from sites with PR1, PR2 and maybe some PR3 pages. Don't waste you chance by trying to get high PR sites to link to you while you offer no benefit to them. What they are effectively doing by linking to sites that are much lower than themselves, is giving away some of their "PR Power" to you and getting nothing in return (actually a negative effect) from you.

By the same token, having said this, it's wise when you receive requests from sites that have a PR lower than yours that you don't ALWAYS disregard them. Take a look at the website, consider their Alexa traffic ranking, a good amount of traffic is an indication that the site owner is getting hits. Even if it's via Traffic Exchanges, it proves at least that they're serious about BUILDING their website to be a worthwhile resource and this, to me at least, means PR will come and when it does, you will already have your link from them. It's basically a 'term investment'.

Have a look at their Link pages and see if they are linking sensibly or stupidly. If they're using a 'Directory program', my advice is to give them a miss. They can't possibly be only linking with related content if they have a huge list of different website categories, can they? Simply, take into consideration the entire look and feel of the site. It doesn't take long and you'll be surprised how easily and accurately you'll be able to predict which ones will end up with higher PRs in the next Google 'update', from which you will benefit. It's also worth considering that if a website is banned, those sites that link reciprocally can be affected negatively by 'association'. Yes, it's true!

As with everything else, building a website is a long, continual and time-consuming endeavour, which happens slowly (contrary to what some SEO gurus or 'experts' promise). There are no short cuts, in fact, the Search Engines are now very aware of all the so-called 'tricks' and as far as linking is concerned, a large jump in the amount of incoming links over a short period, especially multiple links from higher PR sites could bring your site under suspicion of using 'unnatural' techniques, such as purchasing high PR links etc, which could get you banned but at best, certainly won't help your cause.

Patience is the key to achieving your website goals and if you don't have it, and are tempted to try the 'short-cuts' or go mad trying to collect as many links as possible from all and sundry, you'll end up much further behind, rather than progress with any great speed. It's true that your PR will increase with links from 'unrelated' sites but these unrelated links can only hurt your chances in the SERPs. Google themselves explain this in their info pages.

Always remember what the ORIGINAL purpose for linking was and why it was practiced and why incoming links were, and still are, valued by the Search Engines. A link from a related site is a 'vote of confidence' that they feel their visitors will benefit from your content and hence, evidence that your website is considered to be of value in a specific category. How can a recommendation from a totally unrelated website carry any weight at all? Of course, it can't and where these types of links exist, it smacks of 'linking to boost PR' without any thought given to the value of the website to the visitors (who are the Search Engine's customers).

This is why linking correctly is so important, even though the motivations have been perverted over recent years into a 'free for all' of link requests from unrelated sites, which frankly, are almost as annoying as spam to me.

Stephen Brennan is the Executive Editor and content advisor for The OnlinePlus Group and Author of the popular ebook title 'The Affiliate Guide Book' (2005). The Group includes a versatile array of Internet sites providing products and information services over a wide range of Home Business and Health related areas including Pharmacy Prescription Medications, which provides legal, safe and secure access to approved pharmacy medications world-wide and Weight Loss OnlinePlus.

[tags]links, linking, reciprocal linking, seo, PR, serps, search engine ranking, search engine,[/tags]

How Search Engines Work Or How To Get To The Top Search Engine Ranking

These two questions are actually the same, because if one understands how search engines work, he will probably be able to get a site to the top search engines ranking. Think about it.

Unfortunately, the answer is a complicated, dynamic and a secret one. The answer has to do with SEO – Search engines optimization. In fact, very few SEO experts, SEO consultants, SEO software and SEO companies can actually give you a perfect SEO solution.

In the next few lines I will simplify how search engines work. To understand more you must contact and pay to a SEO consultant working with a popular SEO service:

1. The search engines visit your site occasionally and index new topics on your site.

2. The search engines measure the quality and popularity of your site by the number and types of links to your site by other website.

3. According to the site topics, quality and popularity and many other parameters the search engine rank the site for each keyword searched.

Now, I guess you have a website or developing one and you want to get it to the top search engine rankings. Well, If you have money I suggest you pay to an experienced SEO consultant working for one of the top SEO companies. Yet, if you do not have money, you can try doing it alone. But, be warned – a good SEO solution is time consuming. No matter which SEO software or SEO service you will be using, it will take you at least a couple of months to get your website to top search engines ranking.

Your first step would have to be reading more about the subject – reading about meta tags optimization services, keyword services, back links methods and organic SEO and using free SEO services like SEO toolbars and online SEO software. Good luck.

Find the best SEO tutorial only on SEO consulting from SEO experts. http://www.tigilet.com – Web Content Experts.

[tags]Seo toolbar, seo expert, seo services, seo consultant, seo software, seo company, seo consulting, se[/tags]

Attack Smaller Searches To Get The Big Ones!

Searching online can not only be fun, but you sometimes need to be downright inventive.

For those of you who have been searching online for years now, you've probably adapted ways & techniques to find what you are looking for quickly.

Unfortunately when it comes to promoting your site, nothing out there is classified as a quick fix. If people say it's a quick fix, it probably has a major risk attached to it.

Your ultimate goal when promoting your site should be to acquire some of those "Big" search terms online! For example, "Marketing Tips" or "Marketing" in general. The only way to ever come close to the Big Dogs is to start small. Increase the search term and decrease your competition.

Here's an example of this, let's use "Marketing". Wow, what a powerful search term, but someone has to get it, right?

As of today, June 1st, 2004, if you search for "Marketing" you will get 72,700,000 results found within Google. That's a tough one.

Going further, let's add "Marketing Tips", you get: 7,560,000 results found.

Going a little further now, let's add "Web Marketing Tips", you'll get around: 5,760,000 results found.

Let's go beyond that for our final search, let's add "Web Site Marketing Tips", you'll get: 4,940,000 results found.

Now take a good look at all those search terms, what do you see right in the middle??? You got it, that oh so powerful term called "Marketing"!

Are you starting to see the value of targeting larger search terms? (Larger meaning more words attached to it).

Eventually as time goes on, once you've done your due-dilligence and worked hard at targeting these larger search terms, search engines will start rewarding your site with much smaller and more difficult terms to acquire.

Another way to accomplish this is to target your local market 1st. Instead of targeting "Web Site Marketing Tips" as a whole, you can target "Marketing In Hamilton, Ontario".

By targeting the area you live in, you not only target your local market 1st, but you also setup your web site for success in the future market, which ultimately, is the rest of the world!

Let's just say I was to remove "Ontario" from that search term "Marketing In Hamilton, Ontario", how many cities are named "Hamilton" ??? Many more than you think!

So in conclusion:

Don't be afraid to work for your key phrases and set your web site up for success by targeting larger key phrases to increase your chances of better search engine placements. In the end, you'll receive what you've been after all along, more exposure for your enterprise!

I hope you enjoyed the article!

Read more of Martin's articles online here: http://www.smartads.info/newsletter

About The Author

Martin Lemieux
President
Smartads - Affordable Web Solutions
http://www.smartads.info & http://www.smartads.ca

Eye Catching Print Design
http://3dimentionaldesign.com

Powerful Internet Marketing Tools
http://www.thewebclinic.com

[tags]seo,search engine,directories,internet marketing,websites,site promotion[/tags]

SEO - Finding (Niche) Keywords

Finding the most suitable keywords is one of the major factors in SEO (Search Engine Optimization) that can boost the website ratings, determined by a search engine, of your webpage. The keywords of your website should have a close relation with the content so that it can help the search engine understand what your website is all about. Optimizing the keywords in your website is the best way to attain a good traffic, which is also the key for ranking well in Google as well as in other major search engines. Also study the keywords used by other competitors' websites.

The popularity of your keyword that is, does the users search for your keyword, and the competitiveness are two major factors to be kept in mind while choosing keywords for website. In competitiveness you may have to focus on the research of - is there other websites using your keywords and how many specific and unique keywords do you webpage holds.

There are many specialized tools in SEO that helps in determining the competitiveness and popularity of your keywords. Word tracker tools are available online that helps to track the keywords which are often used by the Internet users. These tools will give you a log report mentioning the priority of each word for searchers. These reports with keywords of log statistics programs display the most frequently typed keywords by the users. The use of such keywords will help them find your website and promote your website for a better ranking. Looking for such keywords using these log statistics program or server logs will give you a clear idea about keywords which in turn help in bringing your website among the top list of websites.

The latest SEO technique, white hat SEO top-left-down method, will help in optimizing the keyword using the most appropriate keywords for your website. The top left down keyword optimization strategy has just two steps for a successful keyword optimization. The first step in this is the keyword selection, which need to be selected by keeping a clear idea about what is your website explains and then research for the priority words used by the customers for searching. Then prepare a list of keywords based on the above studies.

The second step is keyword optimization, where the selected keywords have to be sorted according to priority starting from top left to downwards. The top left keyword in the series will be given more weight by Google and other search engines. Thus sorting the keywords in the descending order of their priority is a good practice in SEO. Moreover, these selected keywords have to be applied to the appropriate pages such as title tag, header tag, and meta tags. The method of stuffing HTML tags with keywords which has no match with the actual content of the website can mislead both the search engines as well as the users. You are also permitted to use the keywords repeatedly, but make sure to avoid spam.

Some of the relevant factors about these keyword used by the search engines are the keyword density, the place where it appears in the body text and tags, and the mode of arrangement of these keywords according to the relation to one another.

Copyright © 2006 Andreas Obermueller

About the Author:

Andreas Obermueller is webmaster of Hit4Biz.com - Marketing Related Information and recommends Marble Host for reliable Web Hosting.

[tags]suitable keywords, SEO, optimizing the keywords, good traffic, tools[/tags]

How Top SEO Online Writer Worked Magic On My Site Traffic

It is a real joy to watch a top seo online writer go to work on a site where there was previously little activity. In fact it also gives the online writer great satisfaction and pride to see their seo magic taking a site from oblivion to the top ranks of search engines.

But 'magic' is really the wrong word because it suggests that it is just a matter of touching something here and another little thing there and suddenly things begin to work. Nothing can be further from the truth as any top seo online writer will tell you. The process in fact involves a lot of very hard work.

The first major obstacle is usually being able to find the best keyword phrases for a particular site. This is one task that is similar to the work of a forensic detective. One tiny detail can change everything. One little word being included in some harmless looking keyword phrase is capable of throwing open the floodgates of traffic for a site and making the top seo online writer look like a true magician.

Then the writing of the content is equally important. Try sprinkling the right keywords in some dull unattractive prose with a headline that is dead in the water and the results can be very different. Most people often forget that surfers don't click through to sites in the order they appear in search engine results. They in fact click on the most interesting and relevant headline they see. How long they spend at your site is even more important and that will be determined by how good your content is.

All this means lots of hard work for the top seo online writer. Then they usually have to wait with baited breadth to see what actually happens at the search engines battlefront when the articles with the necessary keywords are finally indexed. Because despite their best efforts, there are really no guarantees in this business.

Magic indeed, I can hear that top seo online writer mutter in disgust under their breadth as they read this excuse of an article.

Are you considering hiring a ghost writer? If so don't do anything until you've read a few of the articles at the author's hire a ghost writer blog. And if you're interested, you'll also be referred to an excellent SEO ghost writer.

[tags]Top SEO online writer[/tags]

Search Engine Optimization For Beginners

If you are confused about terms like "search engine optimization" or having a "search engine friendly" site, then listen up! I am here to help.

Depending on how long you have had, or considered having, a website online, you have heard terms thrown around like the above or even worse, acronyms! SEO comes to mind.

Really there is not that much to fear even if you have no idea right now what is really meant by having a search engine friendly site.

Here is what search engines like to have in their results when people type in keywords:

1. A site with lots of content.

2. A site with UNIQUE content (Original - meaning you wrote it or you paid someone to write it for you.)

3. Sites that are well organized link-wise (meaning simple navigation from the main page of your site to every other page of your site.)

4. Sites that have links pointing to them from other popular, relevant sites. (sites that are similar in content to yours but that are not in direct competition with yours in content)

5. Sites that change regularly (not static but always growing with new content on a regular basis)

6. Sites they can read. (search engine robots cannot read javascript for instance and therefore you get no credit for whatever content is in that application on your site)

7. Tightly themed sites. It is easier for an engine to rank your site properly (where you want it to be) if you are not all over the map in content.

Exception: Portal sites or directories. But this is an item for another article all together

What About The Complicated Stuff?

There really isn't anything complicated about what the search engines want. But if you have stumbled into a search engine forum you were likely blown away with comments and tips that were completely over your head.

There is a difference between basic, standard optimization and the stuff they talk about in those forums. While visting SEO forums is good to keep up on new things as you go along, many people get confused and the forums are the breeding grounds for confusion when you are a beginner.

Try to learn advanced SEO from noted experts in the field rather than taking anything in chats or forums as gospel. A lot more people THINK they know what they are doing than actually do.

Remember that anything someone is willing to give away for free which, if it works, could be worth tens of thousands of dollars in high rankings resulting in high sales, is probably something that is old hat and not effective anymore.

But for now, you have a lot of work to do on the basics. The advanced stuff can come later. Relative to the advanced SEO, getting the basics right is the most powerful move you can make because you are going from zero to moving up in rankings by, many times, tens of thousands of spaces in a relatively short time.

Advanced SEO focuses on moving your site from high rankings slightly higher rankings.

Keywords

Your content is the most important thing about a website. It must be friendly to the search engines meaning no special java script or other stuff. Just good old fashioned HTML. You will do fine with PHP, SHTML, and other things, but for the purpose of this article, HTML is the way most people construct their sites.

You should use a good density of your main keyword phrase for each page of your site within the content. If you are going after a high ranking for the phrase "dog leashes" you need to have that phrase in the title of the page and throughout the content.

Programs that are great for analyzing your site and giving feedback on how to improve your rankings don't come any more highly recommended that Internet Business Promoter from Axandra.

More Info: http://www.Axandra.com/go.to/jdh358

Nice thing about the software above is that it teaches you search engine optimization while it works on your site. So having it is like having a course on optimization while your site is altered for the best placement in the search engines at the same time.

The main recommendation I have for people starting to deal with optimizing their sites for the engines is to take things one at a time and get the basics down before you start messing with advanced strategies.

And when you start down that road, information you pay for is usually more accurate and more valuable than hanging around in forums. High rankings are worth a LOT of money and people don't work hard to become experts just to give that information away.

Good luck and get to work!

Jack Humphrey is the CEO of http://WebFoxMedia.com, an online marketing consulting firm that focuses on publicity, traffic generation and website development for small to large companies.

[tags]search engine optimization, SEO, search engines, optimizing, high ranking, website promotion[/tags]