What You Need
to Know about Search Engines
MARKETING - OPTIMIZATION
- SUBMISSION - QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
- TOOL SHOP FOR WEB SITE OWNERS
The Myth of "Guaranteed #1 Ranking" in Search Engine Marketing
When it comes to the myth of 'Guaranteed #1 Ranking' in
search engine marketing, the bottom line is this: search engine marketing
professionals do not own the search engines. If you don't control the medium,
you can't guarantee the result. - 06-04-2003
(more)
Targeted Traffic Makes Money
There is more than one way to make a strong showing on
the search engines, but Search Engine Optimization is the only way that you can
achieve long-term success through the regular listings in a search engines
index. - 06-02-2003
(more)
First Looks at Froogle
On the eve of December 11, 2002 the news broke. Google
did the unimaginable, or to some, the very troubling. Google begat Froogle, a
beta shopping search engine with a focus on finding product web pages, and
allowing users to sort by relevancy or price. -
06-01-2003
(more)
How To Impress Search Engines and Users - Focus: Web Site Structure
To build a successful Web site takes more than being a
skilled programmer or user interface designer. You may know all there is to know
about Dreamweaver, MS FrontPage, PHP, HTML, or Flash and still not construct a
Web site that will be found in search engines or be easily navigated by site
users. Fortunately, being found in searches, generating sales and traffic plus
showing consideration for site visitors can all be achieved using the same basic
techniques. - 05-30-2003
(more)
Being Tops with Your Users and the Search Engines - Part Five
Before rolling out your website to the public, make sure
all clues about finding and using it are directly built in. The search engines
will also appreciate it when you stick to the topic at hand, because it helps
them determine what your site is all about. - 05-26-2003
(more)
Being Tops with Your Users and the Search Engines - Part Four
Always remember who will be using your website. It's not
your company CEO, marketing department or programmers. The truth is that your
website visitors have the power to bring fame and fortune, or ruin a reputation
and sour investors. On the Internet, competition isn't just in the next town;
it's just one easy click away. - 05-15-2003
(more)
Being Tops with Your Users and the Search Engines - Part III
The idea behind an organized, well-planned website is
that it's designed according to the original specifications outlined in the
"Business and Functional Requirements" discussed in Part
1 of this series. This exercise makes sure each detail is covered in the
design. - 05-07-2003
(more)
Selecting a Search Engine Optimization Company
There are many factors to consider when selecting a
search engine optimization company. Unfortunately, many businesses that haven't
previously used search engine optimization to promote themselves are unsure how
to evaluate potential vendors, and many are intimidated by the entire concept.
The following article, divided into five major topics of consideration, is
intended to help in the selection process. - 05-06-2003
(more)
Getting Organized with Usability Checklists - Part II
In order to design a fully functioning site that is
highly usable by all, it's got to be organized. To make it easier to describe
this process I'll use the analogy of producing a play. The way I came to view
Quality Assurance User Interface and Usability testing for websites was to
visualize each step as if producing a play. There is a plot, set, scenes,
characters and audience. Here's how it works. - 04-16-2003
(more)
Being Tops with Your Users and the Search Engines - Part I
This article begins a series of articles on how to test
your own web site for search engine and visitor usability. - 04-12-2003
(more)
Selecting and Evaluating Keyphrases for Search Engine Marketing
Keyphrases (those phrases that potential customers are
using to find products or services on search engines) are the building block of
any search engine marketing strategy. It is essential that they are chosen
carefully, or else the remainder of the campaign, no matter how effective the
implementation, will likely be in vain. - 04-09-2003
(more)
How to Switch Hosting Providers During Your Search Engine Campaign
Search engine placement is a science and, like any
scientific project a proper search engine campaign requires a controlled
environment. Even in the best of circumstances an SEO has a myriad of variables
to consider that may have a positive or negative effect on a search engine
marketing campaign. For accurate research to take place, a controlled
environment must be entirely free of any web site instability. A common cause of
instability is the down-time that arises when a web site is inappropriately
transferred to a new Web Hosting Provider (WHP). - 04-08-2003
(more)
Building Link Popularity Improves Search Engine Ranking
Link popularity is a factor that many search engines use
when ranking web pages within their index. Simply put, most search engines give
a ranking boost to sites that have incoming links from quality, related sites. -
03-24-2003
(more)
Managing a Responsible Pay-Per-Click Campaign
Pay Per Click campaigns can bring large numbers of
highly targeted visitors to your website. However, these campaigns can become
prohibitively expensive. So, it is crucial to the success of the campaign that
you pay a reasonable price for each visitor, that each visitor is highly
targeted, and that you monitor your positions to maintain your exposure over
time. - 03-17-2003 (more)
Avoiding Risky Tactics - A Long Term Approach to Search Engine Marketing
The beauty of the content-driven approach is that there
is no risk, and what works well today will almost certainly work well in the
future. On the other hand, many of the current techniques employed to manipulate
rank are likely to become just as obsolete as hidden text is today. -
03-14-2003 (more)
Building Link Popularity with Topical Articles
One of the important factors in ranking high in search
engine results is link popularity. It is not enough to just have the best
website in the worldother sites have to point back to you. The thought is
that if your site is good enough for others to link to you, then you must have a
great site. - 02-11-2003
(more)
Link Popularity Campaign Strategy
After spending the majority of the last few years
focused on page attributes and HTML coding, a good part of these past two months
have been spent working on the link-popularity campaign for one of our
companys more prestigious clients. Having come back to link popularity, I
soon realized that identifying and requesting links is more complicated than in
the past. - 01-09-2003
(more)
Getting the Most out of PPC and SEO
Is there still a need for standard search engine
optimization strategies? Why should you change your site for search engine
friendliness if all you have to do is bid for the top positions? - 12-20-2002
(more)
Copywriting: Key to Search Engine Visibility and Conversions
High rankings in search engines can bring you lots of
targeted traffic, but will you be ready to convert those leads when they get
there? - 12-12-2002
(more)
Yahoo!'s Web Ignites the Robot Industry
Everyone is trying to second-guess what's going on at
Yahoo!. Some experts are saying webmasters will stop paying $299 yearly for the
Yahoo! Business Express listing . Others say it's more important than ever to
pay for the Yahoo! listing in order to boost link popularity, an important
algorithm ranking factor. - 12-11-2002
(more)
Spotting a Phony SEO Company
It is no secret that the search engine optimization
industry has its fair share of phony companies that make claims of service and
results of the same nature. - 11-23-2002
(more)
How Much Should You Budget for Search Engine Marketing?
Many marketers are in the dark about marketing budgets
and particularly about search engine marketing (SEM) allocations. In fact,
CyberAtlas reported last Fall that 58 percent of the marketers surveyed
allocated less than 1 percent of their annual marketing budgets to SEM, while 20
percent allocated 25 percent or more. - 11-04-2002
(more)
Important SEO tips & things you should know
Did you know that, before search engine users visit a
specific Web site, they already have made four very separate and distinct
choices. - 05-29-2003
(more)
Optimization of a framed web site for the search engines
From the beginning, framed web sites have presented a
certain challenge in professional search engine optimization. Determining
whether or not to use frame technology when building a new web site still
appears to draw a lot of controversy and for good reason. In this article, you
will learn some basic techniques you need to know to get a framed web site
properly listed and optimized for the major search engines. - 05-22-2003
(more)
Finding the right keywords when optimizing a web site
From the outset, any given web site can look successful:
it can be large, have plenty of good, relevant content and was designed in a way
to help most users visiting the site. It is also listed in most of the major
search engines. But the question is, are there any worthwhile visitors finding
the web site? Is it possible that, using a very specific keyword or key phrase
they cannot find your site in most of the same search engines? Most likely, the
usual answer to that question is an affirmative yes. - 05-19-2003
(more)
How to optimize a dynamic web site
The successful search engine optimization (SEO) of a
dynamic web site requires complex search engine technology and methods that are
substantially different and much more sophisticated than the SEO techniques used
for ordinary, more conventional static web sites. In this article, I will
explain how to successfully optimize these dynamic web sites and some of the
techniques that we know will achieve good results. - 05-14-2003
(more)
How To Impress Search Engines and Users - Focus: Web Site Structure
To build a successful Web site takes more than being a
skilled programmer or user interface designer. You may know all there is to know
about Dreamweaver, MS FrontPage, PHP, HTML, or Flash and still not construct a
Web site that will be found in search engines or be easily navigated by site
users. Fortunately, being found in searches, generating sales and traffic plus
showing consideration for site visitors can all be achieved using the same basic
techniques. - 05-09-2003
(more)
The Robots.txt file
A lot has been written in the past about the robots.txt
file, but there is still a lot of confusion in the forums and in the marketplace
about it. In this article, I will try to remove some of the mystery about this
little innocent, but very helpful file. - 05-08-2003
(more)
Are Your Search Engine Rankings At Risk?
While most engines are becoming more and more adept at
detecting "spam" pages and penalizing or removing them, there is an
unfortunate side effect to this efficiency - some companies that are innocent of
intentional wrongdoing unknowingly have sites that fall into the "spam"
category - 05-01-2003
(more)
Inspecting Your Web Site For Spam
In the search engine optimization field, the word Spam
is used to describe illegal techniques used to try to fool search engine
spiders. This section will outline a few of the more frequent Spam techniques
used by webmasters or unscrupulous SEO practitioners. - 04-21-2003
(more)
A Ten Minute Search Engine Optimization
Many small businesses simply do not have the resources
to hire a search engine optimization (SEO) company to promote their web site.
There are countless resources online for do-it-yourself (DIY) optimizers where
professional SEOs offer general recommendations and advice. This article by
Ross Dunn offer more of his SEO experience in the form of a 10-minute
optimization process. - 04-17-2003
(more)
What SEOs Expect From Their Clients
The most successful SEOs pick and choose their own
clients. Good SEOs can spot a tire kicker from a mile off and I know of a few
SEOs that quickly "fire" clients that give them too much grief. -
03-25-2003
(more)
Working Well With Your Search Engine Optimization Firm
A successful SEO enriched marketing campaign will
require a few simple but crucial elements: timing, organization, and commitment.
Understanding these elements and having realistic expectations is critical to
the success of your search engine marketing efforts. - 03-23-2003
(more)
Sitemaps and Hypertext Links: "Food" for Search Engine Robots
Sitemaps and hypertext links are "food" for
search engine robots. We will look at the value of text links for optimal
spidering, and the importance of using a sitemap in order to help search engine
robots reach your website's deeper pages. - 03-11-2003
(more)
The Weight of Google PageRank in Ranking
It is not a mystery that PageRank has a fairly large
role in Google's ranking, but how much weight? Are there other variables that
outweigh PageRank? Andrew Gerhart discusses how much weight is given to PageRank,
if PageRank alone is enough to rank, and more. - 02-18-2003
(more)
Effective Visual Designs and Optimization A Tough Pair to Combine
When the processes and dissections of search engine
optimization are stripped down to the basics, content and clean coding proves to
be the most effective approach to SEO. Unfortunately, combining a stunning and
effective visual design with clean and effectively optimized code is
difficult to accomplish. - 01-22-2003
(more)
Search Engine Optimization Campaign Results and Expectations
Many people are becoming more and more knowledgeable of
SEO, but do not know what the process entails and what they should expect for
results. - 01-15-2003
(more)
Good Content: The Key To Search Engine Ranking
Good content is key to website promotion success. All
the bells and whistles in the world will not hold an audience like compelling
information. Ask yourself: Why would a visitor stay at my website? What are they
looking for? What do I have that they need? What holds them there once I've got
them visiting? You have to tell your story in a way that will keep your visitors
interested and coming back for more. - 01-15-2003
(more)
Taking Time to Optimize: Is it Worth Delaying Your Site's Launch?
If a new website project was placed before you, and it
was your decision whether or not to launch the site before it had been properly
optimized for the search engines, what would your decision be? Would you launch
the site, or would you wait? In this article, Andrew Gerhart discusses when it
is best to launch a site before optimizing, when this can harm your site, what
the ideal situation is, and the pros and cons for each. - 01-09-2003
(more)
Search Engine Optimization Techniques:Playing Conservatively
Search Engine Optimization will likely grow in 2003 as
more webmasters learn all the latest and greatest ways to reach prominent
rankings on the search engines. With all of these new SEO practitioners on the
'net, the search engines are left with an incredible and difficult task:
Maintaining clean and effective search results. - 01-02-2003
(more)
Capitalizing on the "Down Time"
With 2003 rapidly approaching, it is evident that the
search engines are changing the pace of the once quiet industry. The days of
Google demanding your undivided attention are likely over as Yahoo boasts its
newest acquisition in Inktomi. - 12-24-2002
(more)
How To Get Your Web Site Content Syndicated
The real secret to attracting more traffic is to add
bucket loads of fresh content to your site. Providing you promote this new
content effectively, it can act like a magnet on your site, pulling in new
visitors every single day. - 12-21-2002
(more)
How To Integrate Keywords Into Your Web Site Copy
The simple truth is this: search engines read text and
not much else. You absolutely, positively need to use text on the pages of your
site that you want indexed and ranked highly. Not graphical text that you
created in your fancy design software, but actual, visible body text. -
12-08-2002
(more)
Every Search Engine Robot Needs Validation
Your website is ready. Your content is in place, you
have optimized your pages. What is the last thing you should do before uploading
your hard work? Validate. It is surprising how many people do not validate the
source code of their web pages before putting them online.... - 12-04-2002
(more)
Select Keywords That Attract Qualified Visitors
Conventional wisdom says that most people start with a
search engine when looking for online information. It's also been documented in
research that anywhere from 48 to 84 percent of users find Web sites through
search engines. We need to know more about how people search and what terms they
use. - 11-15-2002
(more)
Paying for inclusion in some directories and search engines
More and more is being said about Pay for Inclusion (PFI)
and Pay per Click (PPC). Today, there are a good number of ways that search
directories and search engines are charging companies trying to get their web
sites conveniently listed on the Internet. - 06-05-2003
(more)
Search Engine Robots - How They Work, What They Do (Part II)
If your site isn't found in the search engines, it is
probably because the robots couldn't deal with it. It could be something as
simple as not being able to find the site, or it may be more complicated issues
involving the robot's not being able to crawl the site or figure out what your
pages are all about. - 05-05-2003
(more)
Search Engine Robots - How They Work, What They Do (Part I)
Automated search engine robots, sometimes called
"spiders" or "crawlers", are the seekers of web pages. How
do they work? What is it they really do? Why are they important? - 04-14-2003
(more)
Monitoring Your Search Engine Positions - Five Tips
Increasing numbers of companies are recognizing the
importance of high search engine rankings as part of their overall marketing
strategy. Unfortunately, many do not recognize that search engine marketing is
an ongoing process, rather than a one-time "quick fix". Monitoring
high rankings, once attained, is critical to the ongoing success of any search
engine marketing initiative. It is also important to approach your monitoring
efforts with a solid strategy and a proper mindset. The following five tips can
help. - 03-31-2003
(more)
Submitting to the Open Directory (DMOZ)
With the growing search traffic generated by Google and
their continued relationship with the Netscape funded Open Directory, a listing
in the Open Directory is arguably one of the most valuable backlinks that your
website can achieve. Because the Open Directory is a human-edited database of
categorized websites there is some confusion of the rules for successful
submissions. - 01-15-2003
(more)
Search Engine Submissions: Waiting for Results
There is nothing more rewarding than obtaining prominent
results from the worlds leading search portals. Accomplishing that for any site
is a task to start with, but even more so if you do not have patience with the
search engines. - 01-07-2003
(more)
Search Engine Submission Guide
Andrew Gerhart takes a look at the correct submission
process to the free and paid major search engines and directories, how long they
will take to list your website, and more. - 12-16-2002
(more)
Magic Secret to Google
what is the "magic" to getting listed at the
top of Google? - 05-23-2003
(more)
Is Your Website Banned by the Search Engines?
How do you KNOW when Google or other search engines have
banned you? Also wondering about which other engines do 'banning' -- and how to
check them as well. - 05-20-2003
(more)
Search Engine Marketing Issues
Browse through these list of search engine marketing
questions and helpful answers. - 05-14-2003
(more)
Overture Ads' Effect on Google Rankings
Does Google give me a higher ranking because of my
thousands of terms in Overture and all the links that would come from there? Or
just from regular sites that link to me? - 05-07-2003
(more)
SEO for Pure Content Sites
I see for search engine rankings are extremely valuable
for those sites that have a product or service to sell. What about sites like
mine that are purely content? Our content is dynamic and refreshes daily. We
don't sell anything on our site. All revenue is derived from advertising. -
04-30-2003
(more)
Can SEO really improve your bottom line?
Does improving the number of hits on a site actually
relate to an increase in sales? Will you sell more if you optimize your site?
And are there statistics that prove this? - 04-23-2003
(more)
Missing Backlinks in Google
Google used to show the links pointing to me, but for
the last month or so they don't show any links pointing to me even though there
are some. I emailed Google about this but haven't received any type of response.
Any idea why they have lost this very important piece of information on my web
site? - 04-17-2003
(more)
How Many Levels Deep?
If I put a page on the second level -- an archive with
links to the individual issues -- would spiders follow and index the links to
the third level? - 04-10-2003
(more)
Should One Request Links to Inner Pages?
Does requesting links to inner pages increase link
popularity and Google Page Rank? - 03-27-2003
(more)
Titles, Descriptions and Keyword Focus
List of questions and answers on how Titles,
Descriptions and Keyword Focus affect your search engine ranking. -
03-20-2003
(more)
Keyword-rich Links
If I want to get better rankings for the phrase
"widget" should the entire hotlink be Buy widgets at
www.greatwidgets.com, or should the words "buy widgets" be plain text,
and only the URL be the hotlink? - 03-13-2003
(more)
Cost-Effectiveness of Learning SEO
I can't figure out if learning to do SEO and copywriting
would be the most cost and time efficient for me. There is so much involved in
this that I'd rather pay someone else to do it, but how do I know who to trust? -
03-01-2003
(more)
JavaScript links to pop-up windows!
I am a photographer with an image based website. The
pages on my site, on the third level down, use javascript to open pop-up windows
when viewers click on the thumbnails on those pages. Can/will the search engines
follow those links to those pages? - 02-19-2003
(more)
Additional Domains for Extra Rankings
This is exactly the kind of thing that the search
engines (most specifically Google) would prefer that you DON'T do. -
02-16-2003
(more)
All Lowercase or Initial Caps?
Can you tell me if it matters if search terms include
capital letters or not? - 02-06-2003
(more)
Will Switching Servers Ruin My Rankings?
We're about to move our website to a new server and I
was wondering if that's going to affect our search engine rankings at all? -
01-30-2003
(more)
Quick SEO Questions
1. What's the minimum number of words per page that you
recommend to get a good ranking on Google? 2. Do mouse-over navbars affect Web
site rankings on Google? 3. Does Google require an external Web site link to get
listed on their site, and if so, what's the best way to get one? - 01-16-2003
(more)
Hijacked Site or Google Mistake
Have your site ever been hijacked and copied by someone
else and search engines start pointing to that site instead of yours? -
01-16-2003
(more)
ODP Error Message
Have you ever gotten "Sorry we could not determine
the IP address for this submission" when trying to submit your site to ODP.
Well, you are not the only one. What should you do? - 01-09-2003
(more)
Will Changing Tags Affect Rankings?
What are you risking by changing Meta tags on existing
pages to try to improve rankings? Can your current rankings and listings be
taken off the engines when you change tags? - 01-08-2003
(more)
Attacking the Search Engines
I was thinking about buying another domain name to
"attack" the search engines with! I.e., I am trying to get a second
chance for the search engines finding and rating me with an additional, but
slightly different domain name. - 12-18-2002
(more)
Search Engine Optimization Glossary
Have you ever came a cross a search engine abbreviation
or term that you did not know and you were afraid to ask thinking it is a
"dumb question"? Well, you are not alone. Here, Jill explains most of
the common terms used when talking about search engines, search engine
marketing, or optimization. - 12-05-2002
(more)
Paying for Inclusion in Directories and Search Engines
It seems that everywhere we turn these days, we are
constantly hearing the phrases pay-per-inclusion (PPI) and pay-per-click (PPC).
Find out if it's worth paying for inclusion in directories and search engines -
11-17-2002
(more)
Multiple Domain Names Pointing to One Site
I have heard through the grapevine that if you buy many
domain names and point them back to your home page, when the search engines find
this out they will shut you off. Is that true at all? - 11-13-2002
(more)
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