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Keywords for Mobile Search

Chris — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 15:30:04 +0000

Google recently revealed that 1:7 searches are being performed on mobile phones, and that number is supposed to keep going up. More and more people are searching on the go, especially if they are searching for local information. The implications for SEO are huge, and you need to make sure your website is taking advantage of this newer type of search traffic.

Just like in traditional search, keywords are the cornerstone of the whole process. As it turns out, people searching from their mobile phones aren’t using exactly the same keywords as they would when using their home computers. Abbreviations are more common, and keyword phrases are likely to be short and sweet. People aren’t going to spend the time to type out a large query when a shorter one will give them the same result.

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Before You Worry About More Traffic

Chris — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 15:30:44 +0000

You build a website with the goal of it getting seen, right? There is very little use on the internet for a site that sees little to no traffic. However, so many web site designers are more interested in the traffic numbers than what those numbers are actually saying. Before you start counting up the clicks on your website, there are a few things you need to understand.

For starters, what is traffic? It’s the number of people who land on your website throughout the course of a given time period. Some of these “landings” are intentional, and some are from people who arrived at your site accidentally or without a real goal. Consider these numbers:

500 hits (visits) on your website in one day
300 leave the site within a few seconds (bounce rate)
100 read the page they land on, then leave
50 click through a few pages before leaving your site
25 find your sales page, and then leave
25 order from your business

What clicks should you be concentrating on, the initial 500 or the last 100 that actually make use of your site? It doesn’t matter how popular your website is, you’ll always have that bounce rate within the first minute or so. There are steps you can take to improve the bounce rate of your site, bringing more people deeper into the website and towards the order page, but they won’t work for everyone. Some people just land on your site thinking that it is one thing, and finding something else. Concentrating on the initial 500 is important, but you also need to make sure your site is useful to the group that actually stick around long enough to look through your site.

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When the Internet Goes Out

Chris — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 15:30:08 +0000

If recent events in Egypt have taught us anything, it is that the modern world needs the internet. It’s a part of everything we do, from news, communication and business to shopping and learning. And while the chances of a total black-out (like seen in Egypt) is unlikely, there are times when weather, technical difficulties and other problems can affect your access to the internet.

How do you prepare for a possible internet interruption? Start by thinking ahead. If you work online, especially if you run an online business, make sure clients and customers still have a way to contact you. Ideally, you should have both a mobile and land line phone number listed. Keep a list of your clients, with their contact information, available in paper form. Also, don’t keep the only copies of important documents on the internet (through GoogleDocs or similar). You won’t have access to them if the internet is temporarily out.

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Search Operator Basics for SEO

Chris — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 15:30:21 +0000

Imagine if there was a way to tell Google exactly what you were looking for, in Google’s own language. You could do specific searches and find what you’re looking for, instead of Google’s best guess at what you’re looking for.

By using search operators, you can make searching much more specific, by looking for information from a specific site, files of a certain type, and more. This helps with SEO because you can perform much more in-depth analysis of websites (yours and competitors), and perform more accurate keyword research. To use search operators, type the operator into the search bar, followed by a colon ( : ), the search specific quality, and then your search term.

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Dear Google: How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways

Chris — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 15:30:34 +0000

It’s a good time to be Google. They are the closest anyone’s been to ruling the world since the Romans, and they don’t show any signs of slowing down.

There’s a lot to love about Google, a company that has almost single-handedly changed the way people think about the web. These are just a few of the things people love about Google:

Search is easier, more intuitive, and fun. Google may not have been the first to use some of their best features (many were used in other search engines first) but they have put them all to the best use, especially in combination with all of the other features.
Chrome. Google’s web browser is fast, efficient, and has some great features. For those of us who live off all things Google already, it was a nice addition to the line up.
Gmail. Remember all of the craziness when Gmail was first released? People were trading cars for invites (no, really). Gmail is still one of the best email services on the web, and they’re constantly adding in new features.
…

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Why the Wrong Page is Ranking First in the Search Results (and How You Can Fix It)

Chris — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 15:30:58 +0000

You’ve used every ethical SEO tactic you know, put in hours of work, and what felt like forever, your page is finally ranking for one of your top keyword choices. Hurray!

There’s just one little problem. It’s the wrong page. The one you want people to go to is still listed a little further down the SERPs. What happened?

Similar on-page optimization. If two pages have very similar optimization, with repetitive keywords, anchor text, descriptions, ect., it’s very likely that the two pages may also have very similar places in the SERPs as well. Make sure you have a definite idea of how you want each page to rank, and for what, and use keywords that are different enough to give you the results you’re looking for.
Internal anchor text problems. If you want a page to rank for “bologna sandwiches”, that should be what your internal anchor links to that page are saying. If “bologna sandwiches” links could get you to one of several pages on your website, it won’t be very effective at getting traffic to the right page.
…

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SEO Ethics

Chris — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 15:30:34 +0000

With almost everything in life, there is a right way and a wrong way to accomplish your search engine goals. Easier isn’t always better, and using techniques that are meant to mislead search engines (and site users) are always wrong. Search engines are strict about this, as proven by the changes to Google’s spam response.

The secret to a powerful SEO strategy that won’t get your site blacklisted is simple; put your site visitors first. Always. The exact specifications and requirements for SEO change regularly, but there are never any changes that encourage you to do something that will hurt your site visitors.

SEO ethics is becoming a larger concern around web communities because there are so many ways to trick the system and move your website to a higher position on the SERPs, without necessarily having a better website. Cloaking and other black hat SEO techniques work very well, for a while, and that makes them very attractive to many website owners who may not be as familiar with the correct way of performing SEO.

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My Site Needs Content, but What Should I Write About?

Chris — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 15:30:02 +0000

You’re working with a web design company, trying to add content for SEO purposes, or to better explain what your business does. Your designer explains how important quality content is, and tells you how many pages you’ll need to get the best results.

The problem is, you don’t know what to write about. Even if you only need five to ten pages, it can seem like a lot when you actually sit down to write it. Where do you begin?

Start by looking at competitor websites. What types of content do they have that your site is still missing? That can be a great place to start. Figure out what the most useful content is, and create similar content for your site. Then consider what information they might be missing, and include that, too.

If you don’t have content fully explaining all of your services, this is another way to add some content. Depending on the number of services you offer, you can get several pages of content using this strategy. If your services don’t require an entire page, you could also group similar services together, creating longer pages (your goal is 400-600 words).

FAQs or Q&A pages are another great way to create more meaningful content for your site. Address the questions you are most commonly asked about your business, along with any other useful information you can provide. If you’re not sure about what questions to answer, visit popular Q&A sites (Yahoo Answers, and similar) to get a better idea of what people questions people are asking about your industry.

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Using Q&A Sites for SEO

Chris — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 15:30:31 +0000

Question and answer websites, where users can ask questions that are then answered by other users, are extremely popular ways to get information, opinions and advice from other internet users around the world. They can also be excellent for SEO purposes.

There are two ways to use Q&A sites for SEO. The first is for research. Let’s say you’re building content for a site on tax preparation. To start, go to any of the top Q&A sites (Yahoo Answers, Quora, ect.) and search for a basic tax preparation question. See what other questions the site suggests. Start making a list of what types of questions come up the most often, as well as the words most commonly used.

Keep searching around the site, taking notes as you go. You should also use a search engine to enter in some of the questions and keywords, to see what other questions (and Q&A sites) come up. The information you’re gathering by doing this can help you to determine keywords for your site, as well as what phrasing is ranking high in the search engine result pages. You’re also learning what questions are most frequently asked, and should be answered by the content on your website.

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The Five Second Rule for Websites

Chris — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 15:30:27 +0000

When a new visitor lands on your website, you have very little time to convince them to stay. There are a lot of websites out there, many of them very similar to yours, probably more than a few that are better. If you want someone to spend time on your website, you need to convince them to stay.

According to various research studies, you have approximately five seconds to accomplish this. Yikes. That means your website has to be in top shape, all the time, and it needs to be able to impress immediately.

The first thing people will look at is whether or not your site is offering what they need. At the same time, they will be making a decision about the level of trust they can put into your site. If they’re looking for advice on web design, you need to prove that you or your company is qualified to provide that information.

To prove that your page has the information a visitor is looking for, make sure that your content is can be quickly scanned through. Use headlines to separate and identify content areas and bulletin points to highlight key information. Make sure your headlines are descriptive, and tell readers exactly what each section is about.

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