How to get your website seen

Posts Tagged ‘Don’t’

How Real SEO Analysis Works

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If you’re serious about SEO, you need to know how to analyze
the information you uncover.

A decade ago, businesses were wondering whether they need to be
part of the Internet. By the late 1990s, plenty signed up and
did the basics like placing keywords in the META data.

Unfortunately, that’s all some companies do – pick out keywords
that may or may not be appropriate and pack them into the META
keyword data set that search engines pretty much ignore.

Proper analysis requires sound thinking and judgment in many
areas. We’ll focus on two major ones – Top 300 and page caching.

Top 300 What’s the Top 300? It doesn’t sound too valuable unless
your biggest customer of the last 10 years actually traveled
that deep into the depths of search engine information overload.

Actually, any number will do depending on your interest. Start
with your 10 favorite search terms (or carefully targeted search
terms). To track your growth, think big. If you’re ranking No.
292 one week and then a week later, you’re No. 154, you know
you’re on the right track.

Too many SEO managers
make the mistake of tracking the Top 30 results and miss out on
the wonderful fact that they’re already No. 31. Don’t be poorly
informed.

Page Caching Google is the best for this because of how fast it
continues to reindex pages. Create your own Google Cache
Calendar – a Word or Excel document will do. List your strategic
pages – say about 10 for starters. Apply the Top 300 rule, check
your rankings and record the cache dates. Over time, those dates
form patterns that can help you determine when Google will
return next – enabling you to time your next set of SEO updates.

If you’re not in the Top 300, you can still get some perspective
from the page cache analysis if you’re still planning to
optimize a given page. It’s easy to find the page – if it’s in
Google’s index. Just enter the URL as your search phrase or find
some unique text from the page and search for that string of
words with quotes on each end. Either will result in a top SEO
ranking and you can grab the cache date.

The bottom line is that you need to track you’re progress before
making changes to the strategic SEO pages

Michael Murray is vice president of Fathom SEO, an Ohio-based search engine
optimization firm. He authored the “U.S. Manufacturers
Resist Natural Search Engine Optimization and Online Sales
Leads” study and a white paper, “Search Engine Marketing: Get in
the Game.” michael@fathomse
o.com

SEO Tactics Revealed

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Though there are many different theories out there regarding what makes the best SEO technique, when it comes to some issues that will work against your SEO efforts, there are some issues where everyone agrees. Among these, the most prominent are:

· Not having a web page title

· Using too many graphics, images, or flash animation on a given web page

· Having a menu system that is prohibitively complex

It is extremely important that every web page on your site has a title. Without providing a

descriptive title that is search engine optimization with the right keywords, you’ll not only hurt your ranking, but you’ll turn visitors away. Consider it the equivalent to owning a store without a sign and with blackened windows.

To make sure that you’re doing your best on that level, make certain that each web page on your

site has its own unique title that is specific to its content. Try to make sure that it includes the

primary keyword for that page, to ensure proper SEO for search engine spiders.

By using too many graphics, images, or flash animation, you may be pleasing the eye, but search engine spiders won’t see it the same way. Search engines focus on the text content of your

website. Their spiders crawl through your site looking for text, keywords, and other indications

of purpose.

They cannot, however, understand images or flash animations, nor will they ever understand their appeal. Therefore, though images are great ways to add appeal to your visitor’s adding too much to any given web page, you’re decreasing the value of your search engine optimization.

To reduce this problem, try to create a balance on your page where the text content is given the true priority, and images, graphics, and flash animations are only a compliment, not a focus for the page. You can also help your website by adding alt tags to each of your images so that you are providing the search engine spiders with a bit of text, even when it’s an image that

actually shows up on the page.

The menu system of your website is the key to being able to properly navigate around it. Search engine spiders are typically considered to be relatively basic programs and struggle with anything but the most primitive menu systems.

For example, if your menu involves JavaScript or a Java applet, the search engine spider will not be able to recognize any of the features, and will not be capable of properly navigating the site. Certainly, these can be very appealing to people, but search engine spiders don’t have the same ability to interpret the features of a website as people do.

For proper search engine optimization, a simple textual link is your best option as it is the

easiest for a search engine spider to understand. It makes your site much more likely to be seen in full by the spider, and therefore receive the best indexing and ranking results.

Furthermore, the majority of the time, an extremely complicated menu system can quickly be replicated and implemented using textual links and CSS. This will make an enormous difference in your SEO results, and will be welcomed by all of your visitors who are still using dial-up and other slow connections.

If you must use a complex menu or site navigation system, then make sure that you at least

provide a site map that is readily available via a text link from the home page. This site map

should use text to clearly link to every one of the other pages of your web site. This way, even if a spider is unable to use your regular menu system, it will be able to reach all of the pages by way of the site map.

Refraining from working against your own SEO efforts due to simple errors, and will enjoy

much larger amounts of traffic to your website.

————————————————-

Jack has committed to providing relatively basic SEO Information. Please view SEO Resources to learn how to receive a free e-book and explore the 500 Dollar Internet Marketing Industry.

Regards…

Get your site noticed and build that traffic!

903 Comments

Traffic, is one of the magic words on the internet! The number or volume of visitors to your online business website is what ultimately dictates the success or failure of your home based business or online venture.

You can have the best looking website on the internet, offering the most incredible product to your potential customers, but if no one comes to visit then all your design efforts will have been in vain.

Now none of us want that do we? I know I certainly don’t because I want people to see what I have done and to buy what I have to offer! What about you? I am sure you would like nothing more that to have a constant flow of people to your online business website. Here are some proven ways in increasing the volume of users who will visit your site.

Use Overture.

Overture is a subsidiary of Yahoo that offers a powerful keyword suggestion tool that helps you come to find the right keywords. If you are using the right keywords on your website then they will bring in more visitors for your site.

With Overture you type in the words that are related to your online business products or services, and see how many searches were made for those particular entries. The more searches there are, the more you should consider using those keywords in your site.

Submit your site to the many search engines on the web.

We all use search engines when we are looking for information on the internet. Can you imagine what life on the internet would be like without the Search Engines? Doesn’t bear thinking about does it? So you need to harness the power of the search engines to ensure that when people use search engines to determine their destination they have the option of coming to your website!

Know the value of keywords.

Search engine spiders are sent to fetch the keywords embedded in your site, so it would serve you well if your pages are populated with the right keywords you’ve acquired from Overture. So without turning your online business website into page after page simply made up of your keywords you need to ensure that your online business keywords are prevalent throughout your website. The Search Engine Optimisation phrase to cover this is “Keyword Density” and that is such a big subject that it will be covered in a separate article very soon!

Provide quality content.

As I have already suggested simply populating your site with keywords would be useless if done carelessly. Your visitors will be looking for information, and if you don’t give them what they are looking for then they will just leave as quickly as they came. Remember, you want quality visitors, those who have the highest possibility of purchasing what you have to offer. You have to provide good, informative content for them so that they’ll stay. Try to publish articles or special reports on your site, where your keywords are strategically positioned in the body of your content at a density level of at least 2% (2 mentions of the keywords per 100 words of the body).

Promote in online communities.

Get the word out to the wider world by joining forums, mailing lists, discussion boards and similar online places where your target audience is likely to gather. Many people start threads asking for help. Help them by providing answers to their questions and you will start to build your reputation within your field of expertise. More often than not, in online forums you are allowed to have a signature where you can put a link to your online business website and this will certainly bring in some visitors as well.

Create a reason to return

You need to aim at encouraging return visitors to your online business website. You can build your own mailing list to keep in touch with them and offer some promotions or special offers from time to time. Alternatively you could incorporate a forum into your website to provide for a venue for your visitors to come together and discuss certain topics. This would simulate the semblance of a community they could call their own, and they would keep visiting your site to join in the discussions.

Constantly refresh and update your content.

Not only will this win the favour of search engines, but it will also increase the possibility of attracting visitors you once lost.

During the early stages of your online business website’s existence, traffic may come slowly. However, do not be discouraged into giving up. With the techniques shared in this article, you can increase the flow of visitors in due time, resulting in a high level of activity for your online business venture. With a prosperous website comes a prosperous business!

Paul Duxbury owns a number of successful online businesses and has recently launched a site aimed at helping those who have their own online business. This can be found at http://www.web-success.co.uk

7 Ways to Drive Traffic to Your Site Immediately

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To make a profit with an internet business you need traffic and lots of it. No matter how many articles you read about creating a successful company, you will always read about the importance of creating traffic.


Traffic is the most essential element for a successful internet company. Besides ensuring that you are selling a terrific product and you have your other business needs taken care of, it all gets down to generating traffic.


If your site is up and running and you’re not getting the traffic you think you should get, it is time to revamp your traffic generating strategy. You need to stay one step ahead of the competitors. You should have been fixing your traffic flow yesterday.


Timing is everything. But when generating traffic, you need to be ahead of everyone else. Don’t think of today and tomorrow as when you’ll begin, but yesterday. Here are seven surefire methods to increase your traffic starting yesterday. Give them a try.


1) Make the investment for good search engine

advertising. It will be worth your while. Yahoo’s Overture and Google’s Adwords both provide lucrative advertising plans that are popular and effective. This does cost some financial outlay, but Overture and Adwords are sure paths to successfully increasing your traffic. It is easy to see for yourself that search engine advertising works. You see more and more companies advertising on results pages. If it didn’t work, they wouldn’t use it. You’ll find it is worth every penny.


2) Trade or exchange links with similar sites. By exchanging links, you can both benefit from the efforts made by you and the owner of the reciprocal site. Each site benefits by getting some traffic from the other site. By trading more links, you can get more traffic than you might expect.


3) Viral marketing is a good tool. Viral marketing is a tool that allows you to spread the word about your company and products with little to no cost. Attach your company’s name or link to a funny video or interesting article and let it spread. People will continue to send the entertainment to their friends and family, and some will be bound to check out your link.


4) Use the right keywords and phrases to fit your site content. Search engines work by looking for keywords. The pages that fit those keywords show up on their results pages. By having the right keywords in your pages, you’ll have a higher ranking than if you didn’t worry about including the right words. You can write your own content for your site or hire people to do it for you.


5) Articles will lead traffic to your site. Submit articles to any of several article sites on your subject of expertise. Include a link to your site in your bio, and you’ll generate traffic from the people who have read your article. Be sure to include a brief description of your products and services.


6) Be active in forums and online communities By taking part in these online communities and forums, you can capture a target market and display your credibility and expertise. With a good foundation laid, people will trust you and be quick to buy your products and services. Traffic will increase by helping people feel they know you.


7) Free newsletters will create a list of prospects that are eager to buy. People interested in your niche will sign up for a free newsletter. If they like the newsletter, they will refer it to their friends and family. Soon your list will grow. This list will turn into customers while they continue to increase your traffic by recommending your newsletter and site.

For affiliate and internet marketing tips, visit http://AffiliateMarketingPays.com and Go HERE for the best http://InternetHomeBusinessReviews.com

Website Submission – What You May Not Know About Search Engine Indexing

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Getting your website listed in the search engines is relatively
easy if you submit it, but even if you don’t you can still get
your website indexed by the larger search engines by following a
few simple tips. The reason for this is the search engines
spiders search the web on a daily basis looking for new websites
to index, old ones that are no longer valid, and the like. So,
if you follow these simple steps, the search engines spiders
will pick up your website and index it without you even having
to submit it. As a matter of fact, you will generally see your
website appear in the search engines faster by simply using
other methods to get listed instead of submitting your URL.
Follow these suggestions and the spiders will pick up your site
when they are out making their rounds.

Tip #1 – Links

Links to your web page on the Internet basically tell the search
engines how popular your website is. So, if you have tons of
links, your website will be considered very popular and as a
result be ranked well with the search engines. The fewer links
you have makes your site less popular so if you want the search
engines to index your site without submitting it, make sure you
have a lot of websites linking to you.

Tip #2 – Keywords

Keywords are another thing the search engines look for and
you’ll want to include them on your website. The more relevant
keywords you have on your website in meta tags, titles, and the
beginnings of paragraphs, the quicker your site will get ranked
well for your desired search phrases.

Tip #3 – No Frames

If you really want the search engines to pick up your site
without you having to submit it, you better be sure you have a
website that does not use frames. The reason for this is that
websites using frames create problems for the search engines and
a lot of times the site is not recognized, not to mention
indexed. Avoid frames at all costs because the search engines
hate them… there really is no use for them.

Tip #4 – Fully Constructed

You will also need to make sure that your website is fully
constructed with no pages still under construction or waiting to
be completed. You may not get indexed by the search engines with
an “under construction” website because they only want to index
complete web sites that are ready for visitors

Michael Turner reveals his foolproof way to increase website traffic in his free 7 part mini-series. Grab it free right now at http://www.powertraffictactics.com/.

Website Marketing Strategies: 5 Tips To Motivate Visitors To Stop Browsing and Start Buying

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Buying requires action and action requires energy. So when you lull your website visitors into peaceful browsing, they won’t be motivated to take that extra step.


They’ll feel bland and blah. They might even go to sleep.


Most visitors don’t realize they react emotionally to websites. They just forget they visited. They might find ourselves reaching for the mouse to click away.


But what happens when your website radiates energy? You communicate excitement. Your visitors want to stay. After all, everybody wants to hang out with vibrant, successful people. Nobody wants to spend time with lazy losers.


So how do you create website marketing strategies that motivate visitors to stop kicking tires and start entering their credit card numbers?


(1) Write copy with words that carry emotional charges and communicate energy. Examples include Smash, Hammer, Develop, Master, Triumph, and Crush.


Use strong verbs in your headlines as well as opening bullet points and even lists. But strong verbs are like cooking spices: use sparingly and creatively to create flavor. And be natural: readers notice when their copywriter seems to be grasping for novelty.


(2) Create a show room, not a tea party.


Phrases like, “Welcome to my site,” and “Please look around my website” will signal, “I’m not really comfortable with marketing.”


Let’s face it. Your visitors know they’re welcome.


After all, you bought a domain name and paid for hosting. You’ve provided at least one menu bar so they’ll look around. Like, duh.


Okay, okay: I know a few people who violate this guideline, yet attract lots of business. I would encourage them to run a test, comparing the “welcome” site with a more direct marketing site. Some markets respond to gentle. But don’t be too sure.


(3) Paint word pictures.


We’ve all heard “perfect life,” “take it to the next level,” and even “boost your business.” Instead, let your readers put themselves in the picture.


“Imagine yourself in a bookstore, standing next to your published book…”


You can be even more vivid:


“Imagine yourself signing your first published novel in the Miracle Mile Borders Bookstore…”


(4) Choose photos and images that supplement your copy.


Photos of sailboats, mountains and rivers. Woodland scenes. Sunset over the Golden Gate bridge. If you’re a scenery photographer, include them all. If you’re a sailing instructor, definitely include photos of sailboats, preferably with yourself in your instructor’s role.


But if you’re a business consultant, use photos of yourself working with clients. If you use stock photos of people, dig for photos you won’t find on every site. There’s one photo of a young woman with a laptop that seems to show up everywhere we look.


(5) Quote yourself — not Chopra, Gandhi, Kennedy, and other iconic figures.


Don’t get me wrong. These folks are worth quoting.


But for your website, use your own words to share your message. You’ll come across as more authentic and convincing. Your readers stay focused and, yes, feel energized by your words.


And that’s when their fingers start tapping out numbers from their credit cards to your order form.

FREE 7 Best-Kept Secrets of Websites That REALLY Attract Clients: My Special Report gives you insider tips to convert tire-kickers to buyers and earn money while you sleep. From Cathy Goodwin, The Content Strategist, at Website Marketing Strategies

Website Marketing Lessons From The Nerdiest Websites On The Planet

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Copywriters like me tend to feel superior when we come across a certain type of website.


You know what I mean. Websites that clearly haven’t been touched by anyone remotely familiar with copywriting. Websites that seem put-together by well-meaning, sincere people who never typed “internet marketing” into a search engine, let alone taken a copywriting class.


They open with “Welcome!” They send a message with paragraphs. Not a bullet in site… er, sight.


They don’t get into benefits or offer you a compelling reason to buy. Each sentence begins with “we,” not “you.”


They don’t even show their smiling faces in photos on the home page. In fact, their home page tends to look a little dull and inviting to the experienced eye.


But to the horror of us copywriters, they’re doing well, thank you very much. They’re attracting clients and earning a good living.


How do they get away with it?


Well, maybe know their markets. Their clients have very specific questions when they’re choosing a resource. Their content immediately answers their clients’ top-of-mind questions.


Or maybe they sound friendly and authentic. There is something to be said for the “plain brown wrapper” effect.


And maybe they market offline, so they find clients at face to face networking meetings.


Possibly that’s why their nerdy web sites work so well. But I think the killer difference (a phrase you’d never find on those websites) is this:


They have mind-blowing testimonials.


Real, identifiable people have said, “I hired these services. I got amazing, tangible results. They transformed my health, wealth, life and/or business. Here are my numbers.”eeeeeeeee


So if you want to win the War of the Website Nerds:


(1) Begin collecting testimonials as soon as you meet your very first client -even before you create your website.


It takes awhile to create results and attract the names and claims that will rock your visitors. Once you start collecting results-oriented testimonials, your web site will begin to work for you.


(2) Emphasize results that are most important to your clients when they hire you.


If you’re a warehouse consultant, they need to squeeze more inventory into a smaller space. If you’re a career coach, they want to get well-paying jobs – fast.


Your testimonials and success stories need to demonstrate that you have systems and skills to produce these results, over and over again.


(3) Test 2 or 3 versions of your website.


Let’s face it: These nerdy websites are generating leads, converting visitors and creating a profitable business. But who knows what would happen if you turned a copywriter loose?


The answer: Test and see. Try a simple “this is just me” nerdy version but go head-to-head with a more benefit-oriented style.


Then you can shrug off the well-intentioned copywriters and web designers who say, “That will never work. Too nerdy!” You’ll be taking your website marketing all the way to the bank.

Cathy Goodwin, PhD, is a copywriter, content strategist and author of “Secrets of Websites That Really Attract Clients. She works exclusively with service professionals who want “one compelling website and hold the hype.” Visit
www.copy-cat-copywriting.com

Website Marketing Tips That Work

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Website owners who understand some website marketing know that a successful website has a lot of visitors that are converted into purchasers. However, here are some ideas to give your sales a boost without the need to get more visitors. Work in these website marketing tips into your website and see greater income rewards.


1. Be a Friend.

Speak to the visitor directly in your targeted sales web page, not to your whole audience. Nobody wants to be sold to by a total stranger so be friendly in your website marketing sales text. If a friend recommends something to you, you are more likely to buy it – and the same holds true for your visitors. If your audience feels you are a friend with their well-being in mind, they will be more likely to buy from you.


2. Give Bonuses.

Bonuses that complement and enhance your product make your visitors feel you are giving them a good deal, one they would be foolish to miss out on. Make sure when promoting your bonuses that you list their prices so that your visitors are even more compelled to take advantage of your great value-added bargain.


3. Be Visual.

Another website marketing 101 tip is to use visual media. Show the issues your visitors may have and solutions that your product offers. Most people will not actually read your copy from top to bottom, but instead pay attention to the graphics on your website – especially moving images. Add an image of a person’s face and attention goes up even higher.


4. Testimonials and Comments.

Publish both good and bad comments together – by doing so your reviews or testimonials will appear more real. It boosts visitor confidence when they see reviews, making it more likely that they will buy from you. Why? Because human beings naturally like to follow. If your product has been bought and used by others and you can show that what you are selling is not a scam or over-priced, your visitors are more likely to jump on the bandwagon and buy too.


5. State the Action Required.

You spent a lot of time writing content and laying out your web page but don’t forget the most important element – ask for the sale! Many web sites lead their visitors and captivate them with the benefits of their products, display stories of issues that were overcome with them, even throwing in substantial bonuses, but forget to ask for the sale! Supply clear directions for the buyer of your product so they know what do do next – instruct them to, “Press the button to BUY NOW!”)


Start using these five simple to implement website marketing tips immediately and you will be able to increase your web sales over and over again.

Fran Jeanes is an internet consultant for icontactwebdesign.com who writes about internet marketing for the small business web design company based in Davidson, North Carolina.

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