SEO Review

In today’s online world search engine rankings can make your business succeed, and while rankings in Yahoo and MSN are very valuable, their combined market value is still less than that of Google. This makes achieving top rankings in Google that much more important.

In this three-part series on How to Optimize for Google we will touch on a number of important aspects for top Google rankings including website optimization, links, Google Webmaster tools, and a number of other considerations.

The focus of Part 1 will be with on page website optimization.

THE RIGHT KEYWORDS

This article is not about keyword research so I will not spend too much time on this topic, however, I felt it was important to at least brush on this slightly.

Make sure that your targets are achievable. If you select the wrong keywords it can make your entire optimization experience essentially a waste. Choose keywords that are attainable but yet still provide a reasonable search frequency for your industry. Your phrase selection should also be targeted to bring qualified traffic to your site.

Using the hotel industry as an example, targeting the word "hotel" would make very little sense but by narrowing it down to "Victoria BC hotel" you now have less competition, and a more qualified audience. Keep your targets in perspective and go after the obtainable rankings.

WEBSITE OPTIMIZATION

There are many on-site factors that play a role in your search engine rankings. Here are a number of those factors and what you can do to improve your chances of success.

Title Tag

The title tag plays one of the most important roles in search results at Google, and is almost always the heading Google chooses for each of its listings. Placement of your target phrase is best used near the start of the tag and repeated again in the middle or near the end. Three uses of your target phrase may be helpful in some instances, as long as it is not too overwhelming. For best results each page on your site should have a totally unique title tag.

It is also important to remember that because Google will use this title as the main heading for your listing, you will want to keep it attractive to potential searchers. Try to also add a call to action, or other wording to help make your listing appear attractive to searchers.

To help illustrate the fact Google takes this tag into consideration, simply do a search for your target phrase and take a look at the titles of the top 10. I tried a search for a rather broad term "hotel" and saw that all 10/10 listings had it in the title tag, and 6/10 had it as the very first word. A quick scan showed that the entire top 30 either had the word hotel, or hotels in their title tags.

If you do only one thing to your website, make sure that all your title tags are relevant, unique, and contain your target phrase for each page.

Meta Description Tag

The Meta Description tag is still occasionally used by Google as the description which appears in the search results themselves. While this used to be a more common practice Google tends to use it most often on sites with very limited content, or those which are flash based. I have seen it still used for content rich sites, however this is less common.

The Meta Description tag still has an impact on search rankings. Your best bet when using this tag is to keep it short and sweet with your target phrase close to the start and not repeated more than 3 times. Like the title tag, each page on your site should have its own unique description tag.

Meta Keyword Tag

When it comes to Google this tag is useless, and won’t influence your rankings. There is some speculation as to whether a spammy keyword tag can however, have a negative effect on Google rankings. As a result, if you do utilize a keyword Meta tag for the smaller engines, it is best to keep it clean and play it safe.

Density

Keyword density plays a role in overall rankings; however, it is not as cut and dry as it once was. Once upon a time there was a magic number that when used could almost guarantee top rankings.

This is no longer the case. Today the ideal density varies from industry to industry, phrase to phrase. To find out what density you should aim for, take the top 10 or 20 search results and see what percentage those sites are using. In most cases you will find that the majority of these sites have a very similar density to one another, and this average density is a good estimation of what you should aim for.

Body Text and Keyword Placement

The location of relevant text on your site will help establish the overall importance of your target phrase. While you do not want to overwhelm the engines and site visitors with a bombardment of target phrases at the top of the page, try to sprinkle in some instances as close to the top of the page as possible.

Synonyms

Be sure to include various synonyms for your target phrases within your body text on your site. Google will use these synonyms to tie in the overall relevance of the page for your main target phrases, which in turn can improve your odds.

To find possible synonyms you can use a thesaurus, but the best way is to search Google itself and see exactly what they consider to be similar. Simply search in Google for your target phrase preceded with a tilde, such as "~hotels". Next scan through the search results for any text Google has bolded. These are all words that Google considers to be related. Using the "~hotels" example Google brings up phrases such as ‘travel’, ‘tourism’, ‘accommodation’, as well as various hotel chain names such as ‘Hilton Hotels’.

Keywords in Domain

There is still some speculation if having a target phrase as part of your top level domain (TLD) is of use to search rankings. From my experience, yes, there is value here, although, nothing like it was several years ago.

If you are starting off in the online world and are contemplating which domain to go for, consider one that uses your target phrase, assuming that it is both relevant to your business name, and uses no more than a single hyphen. While multiple hyphens in a domain can be successful, they are very common with highly spammy websites, so it is best to not take that route if possible.

While having a keyword located within your domain can provide some ranking juice, I would not suggest heading out and doing a domain swap. In most cases you would be better off working on your existing site than starting from scratch with a new domain.

Keywords in page specific URL

Using keywords for specific page URL’s can also help add a little bit of value to your site, providing you use them responsibly. Consider using a keyword as a directory name and as part of a file name where it naturally makes sense to do so. If you have a website that focuses on tourism and includes local hotel listings, you may want to consider the following structure for your page on the Hilton:

MyTourismSite.com/Victoria/Accommodations/Hotels/Hilton.htm

About The Author

Scott Van Achte is the Senior SEO at StepForth Web Marketing Inc.; based in Victoria, BC, Canada and founded in 1997. You can read more of Scott’s articles and those of the veteran StepForth team at http://news.stepforth.com or contact us at http://www.stepforth.com .

The following is based on research, not sexism or prejudice of any kind. Conclusions are by nature overly general, and there are many exceptions to the following "rules" of masculine and feminine behavior. Quite simply, there really are general and stark differences in the behaviors men and women, but this fact should never be used for discrimination or other types of abuse. Also, in the following, jokes and wisecracks abound. The author apologizes in advance if you don’t find him funny and reminds you they’re only jokes. Have some keen demographic insight? Tell us.

Do you know the main demographic using your website? Is it meant to attract women, men, or both? If targeted toward a specific sex, there are some things you might need to know about how men and women use websites and approach the buying process. So take the following information, gleaned from studies and surveys, and apply it how you think best.

1. Men want to complete the task and get on to the next task. Women want to experience the task. Guys, I know that sounds stupid, like forming a relationship with pain, but this is why women are good at taking care of you. Generally, they seem to be more thorough, which is why she’s never ready when you’re jingling your keys at the door and why you might survive getting stuck in a blizzard once you finally get out the door. (That’s a poor example. She’ll likely know there’s a blizzard coming and will protest leaving at all. Men believe they will defeat the blizzard. Women, I know this sounds stupid, but this is why men are good at killing mammoths, and why they’re good at protecting you. In the end, it’s all about taking down the beast.)

2. On the Web, both genders agree that ease of use is the most important aspect of usability. Pose as a visitor. How easy it is to upload/download/view/purchase? However, men prize download speed over easy navigation, while women place both easy navigation and accessibility ahead of download speed. Customization was the least important to both.

3. Women are more holistic when shopping. They want to see and weigh all the options, want to be advised, and want to take their time making a decision. One explanation of this is that women tend to think more long term about their purchases: Will this still work in six months? Will I be able to wear this next year?

4. Men want to get in, buy it, get out. They don’t want help unless it involves help at the checkout to speed their exit. They think of immediate need more than long-term need. It’s a very simple thought process: I want to grill some meat. My grill is old and doesn’t cook meat well anymore. I need a new grill to cook meat with, one that makes it easier to cook meat than this old one. I’ll buy a new grill, take it home, grill some meat. Meat grilling problem solved. Women want to know if the grill is easy to clean, if the buttons still work when summer rolls around again, if it looks good in the yard, if you can steam vegetables in it.

5. Men like coupons because it narrows the choices and provides clear-cut incentive to buy one particular thing they can go in, buy, and get out with. (Think: There is animal. Animal is dead. Now go home, show female, eat animal.)

6. Women prefer sales for exactly the opposite reasons. Sales present many options with many different benefits to many different people other than the woman shopping and the right product is its own reward. They form relationships with the products and then decide which relationship works out best. (Think: There are lots of different berries, nuts, herbs. Some are poisonous. Some make the baby sick. Some go bad quickly. Some are at the top of the mountain and are dangerous to get. Some cost a goat. But this one is good for everybody, is safe to eat and gather, doesn’t cost a goat, and will last through winter.)

7. When it comes to photos, women focus on faces and pay special attention to pictures of couples entwined. Men, as in real life, focus on, well, other parts and don’t give any special attention to couples. Depending on hormone levels, though, women may also focus on, well, other parts.

8. Here’s something men and women generally agree on: the color blue. In one survey, 42 percent of people (35 percent of women, 57 percent of men) listed blue as their favorite color. Women’s other favorite color was purple, which actually factored significantly on men’s least favorite color list, right up there with brown and orange, the least favorite colors of everyone. In a fascinating twist, people seem to like more blue and less green as they get older. Green seems to be a young person’s color.

About the Author:

Jason Lee Miller is a WebProNews editor and writer covering business and technology.

Throughout my research, I’m always surprised when I stumble onto websites that are professionally designed and seem to provide great products and services, but lack or fail in certain important elements.

Elements that, with just a few short changes, can help multiply the results almost instantaneously.

Generally, I have found that there are seven common mistakes. I call them the "Seven Deadly Sins." Is your website committing any one of these?

1) They Fail to Connect

Traffic has been long touted to be the key to online success, but that’s not true. If your site is not pulling sales, inquiries or results, then why would it need more traffíc?

The key is to turn curious browsers into serious buyers. Aside from the quality of the copy, the number one reason why a website doesn’t convert is that the copy is targeting the wrong audience or fails to connect with them.

First, create a "perfect prospect profile." List all the attributes, characteristics and qualities of your most profitable and accessible market.

Don’t just stick with things like demographics and psychographics. Try to get to know them.

Who are they, really? What are their most pressing problems? What keeps them up at night? How do they talk about their problems? Where do they hang out?

Then, target your market by centering on a major theme, benefit or outcome so that, when you generate pre-qualified traffic, your hit ratio and your sales will improve dramatically.

Finally, ensure that your copy connects with them. Intimately. It speaks their language, talks about their problems, and tells stories they can easily appreciate and relate to.

Since this is the most common error that marketers and copywriters commit, and to help you, follow the following formulas.

The OATH formula helps you to understand the stage of awareness your market is at. (How aware of the problem are they, really?)

The QUEST formula guides you in qualifying and empathizing with them. And the UPWORDS formula teaches you how to choose the appropriate language your market can easily understand, appreciate and respond to.

2) They Lack a Compelling Offer

"Making an offer you can’t refuse" seems like an old cliché, but don’t discount its relevance and power. Especially in this day and age where most offers are so anemic, lifeless, and like every other pitch out there.

Too many business believe that simply offering a product or service, and mentioning the price, are good enough. But what they fail to realize is that people need to intimately understand the full value (the real value and, more importantly, the perceived value) behind the offer.

Sometimes, all you need is to provide some premiums, incentives and bonuses to make the pitch more palatable and hard to ignore. (Very often, people buy products and services for the premiums alone.)

Other times, you need to create what is called a "value buildup."

(In fact, premiums are not mandatory in all cases, particularly when the offer itself is solid enough. But building value almost always is.)

Essentially, you compare the price of your offer not with the price of some other competing offer or alternative, but with the ultimate cost of not buying-and enjoying-your product or service.

This may include the price of an alternative. But "ultimate cost" goes far beyond price. Dan Kennedy calls this "apples to oranges" comparisons.

For example, let’s say you sell an ebook on how to grow better tomatoes. That might sound simple, and your initial inclination might be to compare it to other "tomatoe-growing" ebooks or viable alternatives.

But also look at the the time it took for you to learn the best ways to grow tomatoes. Look at the amount of money you invested in trying all the different fertilizers, seeds and techniques to finally determine which ones are the best.

Don’t forget the time, money and energy (including emotional energy) people save from not having to learn these by themselves. Add the cost of doing it wrong and buying solutions that are either more expensive or inappropriate.

That’s what makes an offer valuable. One people can’t refuse.

3) They Lack Reasons Why

While some websites are well-designed and provide great content, and they might even have great copy, they fail because they don’t provide enough reasons for people to buy-or at least read the copy in the first place.

Visitors are often left clueless. In other words, why should they buy? Why should they buy that particular product? Why should they buy that product from that particular site? And more important, why should they buy now?

What makes your product so unique, different and special? What’s in it for your customers that they can’t get anywhere else? Not answering those questions will deter clients and impede sales.

John E. Kennedy, a Canadian fireman and copywriter at the turn of the last century, talked a lot about the power of adding "reasons why." His wisdom still rings true to this day, and we know this from experience.

Once, my wife had a client whose website offered natural supplements.

It offered a free bottle (i.e., 30-day supply). But response was abysmal. Aside from being in a highly competitive industry, the copy failed to allay the prospect’s fears. They thought it might be a scam or that there’s a catch.

So all she did was tell her client to add the following paragraph:
"Why are we offering this free bottle? Because we want you to try it. We’re so confident that you will see visible results within 30 days that you will come back and order more."
Response more than tripled.

Read the rest of Michel’s article "The Seven Deadly Sins of Website Copy" at:

http://www.sitepronews.com/2009/05/12/the-seven-deadly-sins-of-website-copy/

About The Author

Michel Fortin is a direct response copywriter, author, speaker, and consultant. Visit his blog and signup free to get tested conversion strategies and response-boosting tips by email, along with blog updates, news, and more! Go now to www.michelfortin.com. While you’re at it, follow him on Twitter .

Writing SEO copy can be like negotiating a minefield. Get it right and your website will attract new customers via search engines and see improved sales. Get it wrong and new customers simply will not find your site. The good news is, there are some simple things you can do that will make all the difference.

As far as the search engines are concerned, they want to find the most relevant content for each user’s search. They do this by looking at two things. The first is inbound links, which tell the search engines how important you are. The second is the content, which tells the search engines what you do and how relevant you are for each particular search.

Think Web Pages, not Websites

Google looks at each of your web pages on its own merits, rather than looking at your site as a whole. So, when you are planning the structure of your website, you need to think about your key areas. Make sure that each area has its own page. That way, you can optimize each page for a particular product, offering or benefit.

For example, if your website sells electrical products, divide the site into separate pages for broad areas such as kitchen appliances, then create individual pages within these categories for products such as washing machines and irons.

Keyword Research

It is crucial that you get your keywords right, so rather than guessing, use keyword research. Single keywords tend to have more competition, making it difficult to get good organic search rankings for them, so it is far better to be more specific and choose keyword phrases.

For example, an airline should use ‘cheap flights to Malta’ rather than ‘flights’. This also helps to ensure you get good quality traffic. People are more clued-in these days about search engines and know that more specific keyword phrases are more likely to deliver what they are looking for.

Emphasise your USPs

In the same way that USPs (Unique Selling Point or Proposition) are important when you are writing sales copy, they are just as relevant to SEO copy. If you provide something unique, it is worth including it in your keyword phrases. If for example, your airline is the only one offering flights to a particular city, include that in your keyword research.

Building Keyword Phrases into your Copy

Content is king. There is no point in attracting lots of people to your page, if what they find is nonsense. Nobody likes to read copy that has keyword phrases clumsily or inappropriately dumped in the middle of every sentence. It is important to get the balance right and make sure that the keyword phrases are not getting in the way of the readability of the page.

Start by writing a first draft of your page, focusing on what you want to say. Then look at how you can incorporate your keyword phrases without losing the essence of the content.

For example, if you mention that your airline offers a huge range of European flights, you could expand on that by saying that these include ‘flights to Italy’ and ‘flights to France’. Or you could change ‘European flights’ to ‘cheap European flights’ if that is one of your keyword phrases.

Focus on two or three keyword phrases per page. If you have too many, you will end up diluting them and they will be less effective. It is worth getting someone to sense check your copy. They will soon be able to tell you where the keyword phrases are getting in the way of readability.

Keyword Saturation

Each page needs to consist of well written copy, laced with your chosen keyword phrases. Approximately 5% of your content should be keywords. It is important not to go over 10%, though, as search engines may think you are spamming and penalize you with a low ranking. Measuring keyword density is the only way to ensure your keyword phrases are appearing prominently to search engines.

The Importance of Headings and Links

Search engines view titles, headings and links as being particularly important, so try to include your keyword phrases in them. It is often easier to work keyword phrases into titles and links than trying to wedge them into a sentence, so this kills two birds with one stone. Words that are in bold are considered of higher relevance by the search engines, so it is worth putting your keyword phrases in bold. It also helps users to pick out the relevant points.

Remember your Meta Tags

As well as building your keyword phrases into the copy, they need to be included in the page titles and meta tags. If you do not do both, your site will not be indexed for those keywords.

To Misspell or not to Misspell

This is a tricky one. You will notice when you do your keyword research that people often spell things incorrectly when they are searching. On the whole, best to avoid these in your copy. Your website is a reflection of your company, so peppering it with what looks like typos probably won’t help to enhance your professional image. However, sometimes Americanisms are the more popular spelling (eg. organization rather than organisation), so it is worth considering these, but make sure you are consistent, so they don’t look like a mistake.

Last but not least, here are a couple of web copywriting tips:

- Know your Audience

If you have a clear picture of who you are talking to, it is far easier to pitch the tone and type of information at the right level. Create a mental image of your target customer, then imagine you are talking directly to them.

- Short and Sweet

The first couple of sentences are crucial. In a web environment, you are competing with a unending supply of information, so you have got to grab peoples attention from the outset. Make them really relevant, so that your reader knows what you have to say is what they want to read. Then, once you have their attention, you have to keep it. Keep sentences and paragraphs short and to the point. Web audiences need relevant information quickly. Assume that your audience has a limited amount of time to hear what you have to say.

Remember, once your site is up and running, it is important to monitor and analyze its performance so that you can make improvements where necessary. It is also crucial to regularly update your content because the search engines begin to ignore pages that are not updated regularly. Users want to know your site is kept up-to-date and see fresh, innovative content, so be sure to provide them with it to keep them coming back.

Achieving good rankings is only half the battle. The web is a competitive environment, so once you have good rankings for your key phrases, you need to make sure you keep them.

10 Simple Steps to Writing Effective SEO Copy for the Web

1. Carefully plan your site map to ensure that each product or benefit has its own page.

2. Be specific, use keyword phrases rather than keywords.

3. Use a keyword research tool to get your key phrases right.

4. Get the balance right. Do not let your keyword phrases get in the way of what you are trying to say.

5. Keyword phrases should make up around 5% of your copy and no more than 10%.

6. Build your keyword phrases into headings, links and meta tags.

7. Put keyword phrases in bold.

8. Keep your content punchy and to the point.

9. Once launched, monitor and analyze your site, then make improvements where necessary. 10. Update content regularly to keep users coming back and ensure the search engines do not ignore your site.

About The Author

Peter O’Flynn is Creative Director of Marketing Team Direct – the digital marketing agency that offers a complete range of integrated online marketing and SEO services.

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