SEO Gibraltar blog

SEM or SEO?

2010-08-07T11:33:00.000+02:00

From a webmaster's perspective, SEM refers to paid advertising programs; as an extension of an SEO campaign. SEO in itself refers to on-site and off-site optimisation to achieve higher, natural search engine positioning. However, from a client's perspective, SEO can be seen as part of an online marketing strategy - often resulting in confusion.

Search engine optimisation (SEO) and SEM can be seen as two very different things - whist you pay for visibility in PPC programs, SEO is responsible for your natural search engine positioning. Visit SEO Gibraltar for more details on SEO tactics to improve natural search engine positioning.

SEO Gibraltar - 5 latest SEO tips:

2010-07-31T23:30:00.000+02:00

SEO continues to grow, and a lot keeps changing in terms of SEO tactics and strategy as search engines become increasingly sophisticated, and the way we use the web continues to change.

It is imperative for SEO agencies, and webmasters alike to keep up to date with the latest developments to ensure high search engine positioning. This article offers you information on the most recent development in the field of SEO, particulary link building.

Latest developments in SEO:

• Website Speed: Page load times, or Page Speed, is now a parameter in Google's ranking algorithm, since early 2010. Web users want their pages to load fast - so search engines are now catering for this demand. Google Page Speed is a useful tool for Firebug which allows webmasters to optimize the speed of their web site. Much can be done using browser caching, and optimizing of imagery for the web.

• Low Quality Websites: The World Wide Web is full of websites with low quality links, creating a lot of problems to visitors. As a result, Google has imposed strict surveillance techniques on low quality websites, targeting newly built landing pages blatantly built to provide a worthless backlinks. Therefore, keep an eye on your link building campaign reports to ensure your web site is not penalized. Focus on the quality and relevance of the content when acquiring backlinks.

• .GOV and.EDU Websites: The additional weight offered to links coming from Gov and EDU websites has been removed, due to the large amount of spam received by these sites. Complaints started pouring in from government associations, forcing Google to remove special weight offered to the sites.

• Unnatural Linking: Genuineness of website links is another parameter that has been added with changing trends in the SEO field, in order to distinguish between genuine, popularity-driven backlinks, from bulk submissions from identical IP addresses and domains. A variety of backlink sources are advisable, varying in PR, domain, hosting provider and geographical location from a range of web sites.

• Link Building "rules": Some of the old rules in the field of SEO remain intact even after so many changes. Backlinks from high PR web sites, regardless of what is said about PR being outdated our being replaced, carry much more weight thank a number of low authority backlinks. Apart from the actual link juice of the backlink, remember that it is also a traffic source, and if you are strategic about link building, you will attract the right type of traffic from visitors on related pages.

On-site SEO 2 of 2: Content Optimisation

2010-07-26T17:37:00.002+02:00

Content for users - not search engines

Content is king, and should be written for your readers - this is the golden rule in content optimisation, and no less than a principle in SEO. Search engines favour honest, user-focused web pages in their ranking algorithms, and are quick to penalise sites with blatant keyword stuffing. Content must be written with the sole purpose of informing your readers, and then optimised carefully with your chosen keywords. It is at this stage, when producing fresh content, that your keyword research and competitor analysis pay off.

Page elements - titles, metadata, h1, h2...

In the early days of SEO, page elements were perhaps the most important attribute in search engine ranking algorithms - this was quickly abused as webmasters began keyword stuffing, and naturally algorithms evolved. Today, page elements are nowhere nearly as important as they used to be, but are important enough to include in your campaign.

Page titles and headings - these allow robots to quickly see what a web page is about, as well as help your readers easily find relevant section of information in a clearly structured manner. The <title> tag is still important in search algorithms, so use your top keywords first, then by descriptive keywords. This is the also the first thing web users will read when they see your web site in SERPs, so try to entice them into visiting your web site.

Meta descriptions may have also lost importance in algorithms, but these are still important to users looking for services which you offer. By writing a short, keyword rich, enticing paragraph about your services, users may be lured to your web site - especially if you command a high position on results pages.

Valid Markup and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)

W3C validation may not the top priority in SEO campaign, but as with most elements in SEO, it cannot be overlooked. and is important for other optimised elements, such as your content. XHTML transitional 1.0 and CSS 1.0 are recommended by the W3C, and is widely regarded as the standard.

Cascading Style Sheets have been around for a while now, and revolutionised web site design. CSS allows to control the layout, styling and formatting of web pages in a secondary document, giving many advantages. Cleaner code allows your page content to be placed nearer the top, where search engines will recognise its importance. Design changes only require editing one file, and changes are applied universally.

Ultimately, your markup code should be as minimal and efficient as possible, and XHTML and CSS is the way to achieve this. Google and the other search engines can then crawl your site faster and index your pages sooner.

On-site SEO 1 of 2: Web Site Structure

2010-06-07T18:46:00.001+02:00

Alongside link building, content optimisation and web site structure make up the Holy Trinity of SEO. Still, too many companies underestimate the importance of the latter and instead focus the bulk of their efforts and investment in off-site SEO. As important as link popularity is in search engine algorithms, the success of your link building campaign can be restricted because of your actual web site. On-site SEO is arguably as important, and can save your business a lot of money in the short and long run.

Web site structure consists of several elements which although independently important, together constitute a vital component of your SEO strategy which cannot be overlooked. Web site structure organises content accordingly, i.e. your web pages, into categorical folders, and is important for search engine robots and users alike.

URLs and physical structure

Web site URLs are a very powerful element in SEO. Still, there is much more to web site and page addresses than having keywords: it is a crucial constituent of your web site structure. Search engines favour web sites with clear, categorical physical structures, and dislike long and dynamic URLs.

Dynamic URLs are to be avoided at all times - big no-no. Web page addresses sometimes have parameters in them (e.g www.yoursite.com/blog?post=seo&cat=links&rel=54342). Google at one stage had trouble indexing pages with dynamic URLs, and can lead to search engines caching a number of different versions of your page, which they will probably interpret as duplicate content. The best option is to avoid them altogether. If you need to use Dynamic URLs, have no more than 2 variables.

Implementing a clear site structure with categorical, folder names as keywords will result in search engine attractive URLs. These allow search engines to index your pages easier and faster, as well as your users to familiarise themselves with your content.

Conclusion

Web site structure is very much like the physical foundations of a building, and should be considered carefully from the outset before building your web site. You can also experiment by testing out different keywords in your folder names to see how different URLs rank in SERPs, but bear in mind how Google can take its time to index all your pages again after resubmitting your XML sitemap.
Structure is also important for webmasters: whether using a CMS, or building pages manually, templates and components are a vital asset in web content production and can be easily set up. Content production must be as streamlined and efficient as possible, allowing you to easily create new pages, keeping your site fresh for both your audience and search engines.

Content Optimisation - Valid Markup Code

2010-05-25T12:59:00.001+02:00

W3C validation is not the top priority in any SEO campaign, but as with most elements in SEO, it cannot be overlooked and is important for other optimised elements, such as your content. XHTML transitional 1.0 and CSS 1.0 are recommended by the W3C, and is widely regarded as the standard. All pages on SEO Gibraltar are XHTML valid.

Cascading Style Sheets have been around for a while now, and revolutionised web site design. CSS allows to control the layout, styling and formatting of web pages in a secondary document, giving many advantages. Cleaner code allows your page content to be placed nearer the top, where search engines will recognise its importance. Design changes only require editing one file, and changes are applied universally.

Ultimately, your markup code should be as minimal and efficient as possible, and XHTML and CSS is the best way to achieve this. Google and the other search engines can then crawl your site faster and index your pages sooner. As with other elements in SEO, valid markup is important in the wider context of site structure - and although independently important in search engine algorithms, it is also important to other SEO elements.

Link building evolution – as Darwin might see it…

2010-05-23T11:28:00.002+02:00

Link building refers to creating inbound links to a website: of course, an ongoing process and an integral aspect of marketing a website - arguably the holy grail of SEO. It has evolved over the years, with the survival of the fittest link building techniques still alive today, alongside new methods having spawned from web 2.0. In the beginning, bulk directory submissions and blog comments might have played a large part in your strategy, but link building in 2010 is all about building links naturally, promoting user focused content to attract traffic to your site, from your readers themselves.

Darwinian analogies aside, the paradigm shift is plain to see. It is no longer just about quality content, but about getting that quality content noticed, and it's about that content engaging your readers more. Content needs to be exposed to your target audience, and marketed carefully - this is where social bookmarking and social networking come into the equation. This type of link building is commonly refered to as link baiting, althought from a White Hat SEO point of view, I personally do not like this term. Think of link baiting as honest, customer centric publications, with no ulterior motive than to publish your thoughts and ideas to your audience. Many SEO companies offer link baiting services, but fish are rarely attracted to this bait. Your audience, much like fish, have evolved over millions of years and can recognise bait when they see it.

To fully exploit the power of social news sites, write original articles and submit quality links to popularize your website. Link building in 2010 is about creating links naturally and smartly, and article writing is a great way to drive quality traffic to your site, enticing readers to create backlinks as they share your content. An excellent way of achieving this is by getting your links posted on the front page of social news websites like Digg and Reddit, also giving you quality backlinks. These can generate high volumes of traffic to your web site. Social news websites will also help your site reach out to other social networks, communities and forums online.

Social network marketing tools like MySpace, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, blogging and forum discussions are extremely useful in this respect. Social bookmarking is the hot topic in SEO link building in 2010, but your campaign will only be as valuable as your content is enticing. Be original, and write something that your users will want to share, perhaps even a little controversy is allowed in this form of link baiting.

In summary, the message is simple: market your content effectively and attract links. Create a platform to catapult your site and content into limelight. Push your content and make it visible online.

Darwin said that only the fittest species survive, and with many SEO tactics extinct, and others running out of food in the harsh world of SEO, it is the more intelligent, tactical species on link building that are flourishing.

Question is….what does the evolution hold in store for SEO in the future?

Link Building 2010 - out with the old, in with the new

2010-05-13T20:57:00.002+02:00

The importance of link building in your SEO campaign is something you will be more than familiar with, yet it is important to take stock on your backlinks every now and then and have a good look at what you’re doing, and what you may be doing wrong. Those thousands of backlinks from low authority directories are becoming less and less valuable, as search engines continue to evolve their algorithms, becoming smarter and more appreciative of social networking, relevance, and how you naturally acquire these links.

Nevertheless, link building is still the holy grail of SEO. What is interesting is how the evolution of search engine algorithms has made us take stock of our strategy and perhaps think twice. The logic behind the importance of backlinks from an search engine perspective is that they are a good indicator of the popularity of your web site – showing that web users are eager to visit your site, and share your content with other users in their local and online communities, and that is the amber nectar. In 2010, search engines know that it takes a few bucks to but 1000 random directory submissions, whereas 100 backlinks in social networking can be more effective and efficient. Moreover, sites like Facebook and Twitter can be a great medium for online marketing, as you can target your audience very precisely and cheaply, as well as naturally promoting your business or website

Out with the old. To fully harness the power of link building and get to that no.1 position, you will have to abandon those antiquated methods of yesteryear. It goes without saying but automated director submissions are a massive no-no. Three way linking doesn’t cut the mustard anymore either. This is when site X links to site Y which links to site Z, and ditto for blog comments and blogrolls, although to a much lesser extent if you are any good at it. In a nutshell, links that are easy to acquire do not fool the search engines in 2010. What works is good, honest, user focused content! Engaging, unique and informative content relevant to your website. One way to increase your web presence is by writing unique articles and submitting them to reputed article directories, related to your content.

This is 2010. You cannot manipulate or trick search engines by misusing backlinks. You have to really work on your backlinks by providing relevant information to customers, which is what SEO is all about.

Link building 2010 is the need of the hour, so take a minute or two to think about your strategy. Out with the old, and in with the new is the message, and the clear moral of the story is be nice to those search engines. They are getting smatter and more diplomatic by the day – you may have noticed how Google’s SERP suddenly looks more relevant and not producing so many results from old pages. You can’t fool search engines, and you can’t manipulate visitor traffic by adopting black hat SEO strategies. You need to be original and creative as far as the future of SEO is concerned.

SEO Gibraltar link building 2010

2010-05-04T14:10:00.000+02:00

Hi there, much is being made on the blogosphere about link building in 2010....much of it saying that suddenly our laborious painstaking link building strategies of 2009 are moot? No. Absolute rubbish. There is much scaremongering out there, and good SEOs know that such posts are an SEO linkbaiting tactic in itself.

It is worth noting, however, that Google and the other search engines are becoming smarter. Directory submissions are becoming practically useless, as there are literally millions of web directories out there that people do not use! There are of course very good directories which are a must for your campaign, but it really is not worth the time nor money to build thousands of backlinks from directories.

Instead, go on facebook! Yes, really!

Social networking is becoming a crucial component of SEO, as millions of users online can see your content, share, and interact - search engines love this! This is seen as real, natural popularity. Noticing that in one month you have 1,000 backlinks from random directories is not.

Hello, my name is SEO Gibraltar, nice to meet you

2010-05-02T23:06:00.002+02:00

Our first blog post - perhaps irrelevant in the long run, but it's nice to get the ball rolling finally....

So what is SEO Gibraltar? We are a company comprising of SEO experts with professional experience locally, in Spain and the UK, with experience in optimising web sites in a wide range of fields. We specialise in SEO for tourism and real estate, and with a #1 position on Google for 'gibraltar hotels' or 'gibraltar property', your business will reap the rewards of SEO with a constant stream of traffic to your site, increasing your sales and profits.

Well, you probably know too well how search engine optimisation is fast becoming the most important form of marketing for businesses seeking to exploit their online presence. This has happened all over the world, and despite its small size, SEO is becoming increasingly important in Gibraltar too. With more and more businesses online, the search engine results page is becoming as competitive as advertising space....only that in this space, it is the smarter business that prevails.

Examples of this can be seen in several industries in Gibraltar, especially with the growth of our economy in recent years. This is one factor attributing to how more and more web users are turning to Google and Bing as their gateway to find services in Gib - it's not like they have a copy of our yellow pages. Many of these searches are carried out by people looking to holiday on the rock, and increasing number of expat workers relocating here. They need hotels, car rentals, insurance, property rentals, and many more services which they want to arrange before arriving...by which point, your expensive advert on the back of the chronicle may be irrelevant!

Expat workers are only one example - even those of us who have lived here forever are turning to search engines rather than old fashion ways of finding stuff. It's just easier to Google something isn't it? Many smart businesses are taking advantage of this already as they know how important their web site is to their business, even if you do not sell your services and products online.

The figures by Google, Alexa and other keyword search tools show how these searches for Gibraltar's services are increasing, so now is the perfect time for Gibraltar's businesses to take advantage, and set their stall on the #1 spot for years to come - it's not like people will stop using search engines and revert to the yellow pages, will they?