This document provides an overview of search engine optimization (SEO) strategies and techniques. It discusses the importance of choosing keywords, differentiating between on-page and off-page optimization, and the significance of backlinks. The document emphasizes using white hat SEO tactics like high-quality content over black hat methods to achieve search engine rankings. It also stresses balancing on-page elements like keywords and titles with off-page factors like links and directories.
1 of 32
More Related Content
Seo ebook
2. SEO Skyscraper-Reach the Top and Stay There!
2
SEOSearch Engine Optimization
Make it Work for
YOU!
3. SEO Skyscraper-Reach the Top and Stay There!
3
Legal Notice:
This ebook is copyright protected. This is only for personal use. You
cannot amend, distribute, sell, use, quote or paraphrase any part or
the content within this ebook without the consent of the author or
copyright owner. Legal action will be pursued if this is breached.
Disclaimer Notice:
Please note the information contained within this document is for
educational purposes only.
Every attempt has been made to provide accurate, up to date and
reliable complete information no warranties of any kind are expressed
or implied. Readers acknowledge that the author is not engaging in
rendering legal, financial or professional advice.
By reading any document, the reader agrees that under no
circumstances are we responsible for any losses, direct or indirect,
that are incurred as a result of use of the information contained within
this document, including - but not limited to errors, omissions, or
inaccuracies.
5. SEO Skyscraper-Reach the Top and Stay There!
5
1. What is SEO?
Search Engine Optimization or SEO is a set of actions
designed to help improve the visibility of a website in natural search
results, also known as organic or non-paid search results, for a set of
keywords or keyword phrases. Consumers use keywords or keyword
phrases in the search boxes on major search engines to locate what
they need. The most widely used search engine is Google followed
by Yahoo! and Bing.
Search Engine Optimization is quite possible the most effective
marketing strategy available to a website owner. SEO is a way to
gain maximum exposure for a businesses product or service on the
Internet. More individuals will turn to the Internet to look up a
business or search a general listing then the phonebook. For
example, people who are searching for a digital camera will look for
digital cameras online before heading to a store that sells this type of
merchandise. Many people will even do their pre-shopping or
research online and know exactly what they want before stepping foot
into a brick-and-mortar store if they do not purchase the item online.
How does SEO Work?
Search engines, such as Google, Yahoo! and Bing, use a
specific and secret formula of algorithms to determine the order for
which a website will rank on the search engine pages. No matter
what a company is selling, they want to have their website rank high
on all the major search engines for whatever category they sell. For
digital cameras, Company XYZ wants to be listed in the top three if
not the number one spot.
One of the reasons for wanting to rank high on a search engine
would be because consumers are basically lazy. They tend to click on
one of the top five listings they are given after they arrive at a search
page. Consumers will hardly bother to look down the first page or
onto the next page or further to see what is listed. Having a high
ranking is very important to the success of an online business as well
as a brick-and-mortar business. SEO can help a website arrive at the
top of the search pages.
6. SEO Skyscraper-Reach the Top and Stay There!
6
Each search engine contains 'feelers' or 'spiders' as they are
sometimes referred to because of the web. And what these 'spiders'
do is collect data from the various websites in each category. Using
the digital camera example, if an individual owned a website that sold
digital cameras and they placed several keyword rich articles on that
website, the search engine would send it's 'feelers' out to feel for the
keywords and then rank it according to the search engines ranking
formula. Since there are hundreds of thousands of digital camera
websites, the top spots on each major search engine will change from
day to day as the 'feelers' retrieve information and the search engines
are updated.
White Hat vs. Black Hat SEO
Keyword rich articles are the best way to optimize a website for
search engines. White hat SEO is when a website delivers
interesting, readable quality content. The content is for the consumer
and not the search engines. This means the text located on the
website is optimized with keywords and keyword phrases but the
context makes sense and is not a bunch of gibberish or keywords
strung together to get the 'feelers' attention.
Black hat SEO is attempting to override the search engine
system by stuffing a website with keywords and keyword phrases
without writing for the consumer or content that is relevant and
coherent. This is known as link farming, spamdexing, doorway sites
and so many other names. Search engines do not like these
techniques and their 'feelers' will know the difference between a white
hat and a black hat SEO website. The search engine 'feelers' are
very sophisticated and they cannot be fooled. It is best to do the right
thing and place keyword rich content on your website without trying to
overstuff your website with keywords or information that does not
make sense to get the attention of the search engines for the
attention you get will not be the kind you want.
Scamming the SEO System
As a result of scamming the SEO system, a website could be
bumped to the very last page of a search engine or worse, banned
form the search engine listings all together. This means that a
7. SEO Skyscraper-Reach the Top and Stay There!
7
website will not be listed anywhere near the first few website listings
because they were not truthful in their presentation of their website.
When a website owner is using unscrupulous tactics such as
overloading their website with content that is only keywords in the
hopes of attracting the search engine 'feelers' this is deceptive and
will not be tolerated by the search engines.
2. Choose Your Words Carefully
- Keyword Difficulty
In order to wage a successful SEO campaign, a website owner
needs to carefully research what keywords and keyword phrases are
being used in the search boxes by consumers who are looking for
what a website owner has to sell. Write down the keywords that
pertain to your merchandise and products and that consistently come
up in searches. Then match that list with a list of keywords and
keyword phrases that best describes your merchandise or services.
The final keyword list you should end up with will be a
combination of keywords and keyword phrased that describe your
services and products; what consumers are currently searching for
and what keywords your competition is using.
Continued research is a must when working to gain a high
ranking on the major search engine pages.
Shooting High - Top Notch Keywords
Top keywords or the popular keywords and keyword phrases
are good, but the better choice would be to find the keywords that
earn top slots on the major search engines consistently. Chances are
there are going to be many competitors using the exact same
keywords or keyword phrases that you are using to get to the top of
the search engines pages. And every SEO expert will tell you, if you
cannot be in the top ten, or at least on the first page of an organic
search listing page, then you should think again about the keywords
and keyword phrases on your list as potential for optimization worthy
of your effort.
8. SEO Skyscraper-Reach the Top and Stay There!
8
At this point, you may start to feel a little discouraged.
Especially if all the good keywords and keyword phrases are taken,
what have you got left? How about low-volume keywords that are
searched less often? These can be almost as beneficial as the high-
volume keywords but they have less competition using them.
Aim Just a Smidge Lower
The best way to work at something is with the proper tools. This
is no different with SEO; therefore you should go out and find the
right tools to help you determine if a keyword or keyword phrase will
be ranked high on a search engine list. Choose several of the free
online keyword difficulty tools. The reason for using multiple keyword
difficulty tools is they may each give you slightly different results, one
may offer a great keyword match to your merchandise or services
that you may not have thought of before.
Here are a few keyword difficulty tools that will help you find out
if the keywords and keyword phrases on your list are high ranking:
http://www.seomoz.org/keyword-difficulty/
http://www.seochat.com/seo-tools/keyword-difficulty/
http://www.seologs.com/keyword-difficulty.html
http://www.cached.it/english/keyword-difficulty.php
Be sure to check keyword phrases as well as single keywords.
Consumers will enter several words into the search boxes to find
exactly what they want, most thinking that they need more words than
they do for their searches. Plus, many words or phrases have several
words that mean the same thing. For example the word money, there
are several words that could be used in its place to mean the same
thing and help to boost a websites ranking to a higher level on a
search engine page. It is a game of trial and error until the right
combination of words come together to describe your products and
services in a coherent way in addition to being words consumers
would use to search for your products and services.
9. SEO Skyscraper-Reach the Top and Stay There!
9
3. On-page vs. Off-page Optimization
On-Page Optimization Defined
The definition of an On-page optimization is what is being done
on the webpage to maximize its performance in the major search
engines - what is on the website pages for the consumer to read that
is relevant to their search. The most important part of an On-page
optimization program is the text. A search engine 'feeler' sometimes
known as a 'bot' (for robot) cannot read photos and graphs. Although
photographs and graphs are attention grabbing, what is written in the
text is what grabs the attention of the search engines 'feelers' and
gets your page ranking higher.
Off-Page Optimization Defined
The definition of Off-page optimization is what is being done off
the webpage to maximize the website's performance in the major
search engines - what is going to draw the consumer to your website
from the search engine or another off-site location and why? What
types of links are coming into the webpage (your website) and are
they authoritative sites. To be considered for a top spot on a search
engine, a website must demonstrate that it knows what it's talking
about, that the text is authoritative about the subject matter discussed
within the pages. This is another reason why the context is so
important and it cannot be a hodge-podge of keywords and keyword
phrases that make no sense.
On-Page Deals With:
HTML output - this is done through a program platform (php,
cfm, aspx, etc.) - and if the URL formatted codes and slugs are
crawl-able or lean for the search engines
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and Gzip Compression
Occurrence of keywords, their volume of use in a document
and proximity other relevant keywords
Internal links, architecture and continuity
10. SEO Skyscraper-Reach the Top and Stay There!
10
Relevancy of header tags, meta data and title tags all to the
primary keywords
Frequency to channeling link-flow to frequent internal or less
popular pages
Increasing crawl depths through site maps
Off-Page Deals With:
Other website links that are inbound - coming into your website
Rate - how many links, how fast are the links, etc.
Neighborhood - where are the links from? They need to be from
a good neighborhood!
Incidence Occurrence - how often per keyword anchor text
works
IP Range - are the C Class systems from the same block in the
neighborhood? What about the same server or the same
hosting network?
Amount - appearance
As a website owner, you will need both On-page and Off-page
optimization in order to make it in a relatively uncompetitive market.
Relying only on On-page optimization with excellent context with the
right keyword density will get you pretty high on the search engines;
however, utilizing Off-page optimization, the backlinks, will bring your
website even higher. The more competitive the market, the more you
will need authoritative links as insurance to help your website ranking
rise to a respectable level.
Large companies, the ones with hundreds of thousands of links
such as the big box stores or large online stores like Amazon or eBay
will have the top slots on a search engine page but moving past them
can be done with the correct amount of Off-page and On-page magic.
SEO experts agree that there needs to be a balance of On-
page and Off-page optimization to make a website optimized for the
right consumers and customers that ultimately lead to sales.
11. SEO Skyscraper-Reach the Top and Stay There!
11
4. The Importance of Backlinks
Natural Backlinks
Backlinks are an important part of both On-page and Off-page
optimization. While there is some control over what is going on your
website, the content is coming from another source. A little confusing,
but easily explained.
When an individual likes a page, they will connect to it,
hopefully. If your website is full of great content that is relevant to
your products and services, then more people will link to it, and, with
a bit of luck, those people will also own relevant websites to what you
are offering.
But do not rely on this natural way of gaining backlinks alone. It
is great and will help you bring in more backlinks and ultimately more
customers, but you can help yourself climb the ladder to a higher
search engine ranking with backlink building tools.
Backlink Do's and Don'ts
There are a few acceptable ways to build links which could help
in the climb to a higher search engine status:
Posting in forums
Writing articles for directories
Writing blogs for directories
Listing your website in directories
Do NOT try the following if you are attempting to build links:
Linking to spam sites
Inter-linking - this is linking from one site to another
owned by the same owner
Linking to unlawful activity sites
Linking to link farms
Purchasing links in bulk
12. SEO Skyscraper-Reach the Top and Stay There!
12
Finding Quality Backlinks
There are several backlink tools or free helpers available
online. These backlink builder tools allow a website owner to input his
keywords and the backlink builder tool will deliver a list of websites,
specifically for that keyword, for posting articles, blogs, messages or
a simple backlink to the original website if that is all you are interested
in doing.
Once a website owner has this valuable list of backlink
possibilities, it is up to him to do the legwork and follow through. He
must visit the sites listed and post his content and links to receive the
backlinks.
Directories
A serious SEO marketer who wants his website to be in the top
listing on a search engine needs to be listed with several directories.
Yahoo! and DMOZ are just a few of the better directories to shoot for.
Listing in these directories will provide a website owner with free
backlinks in addition to helping their website get noticed by the
search engines and new customers. One draw back is there could be
a waiting period before your website is listed in the category of your
choice, but a free listing is a good thing when it comes together in the
end.
Article and Forum Directories
Posting to article directories and forums is an excellent way to
collect quality backlinks. Posting to forums is typically short and not
very time consuming; posting to a directory will take a little longer.
Articles need to be well crafted and edited to perfection. It is worth
your while to take your time and write a relevant article with only one
or two links to your website for inclusion to an article directory. Better
yet, hire a professional writer to craft articles for you.
13. SEO Skyscraper-Reach the Top and Stay There!
13
Affiliate and Content Exchange Programs
Affiliate and content exchange programs are similar to article
and forum directories as a way of gathering quality backlinks. You
could offer an interested website a free RSS feed and when that site
publishes your RSS feed, your website will receive a backlink for your
site. What's more, you will receive paying customers from the small
blurb and headlines they found on the other site about your website.
Press Releases and News Announcements
If handled properly, press releases and news announcements
can be a lucrative way to build backlinks. The press release needs to
be written according to the guidelines, most need to be exactly 400
words or slightly less and each website for news has a slightly
different rule for what can and cannot be talked about in a press
release. Above all, the press release must be about something
newsworthy.
Avoid these Backlink Practices
Link exchanges - these are typically link farmers in disguise. You risk
the change of getting your website banned from the search engines
and that is not what you want. Stay away from link exchanges.
Suspicious linking - there is no 'law' in SEO that says you cannot link
to a suspicious website for backlinks; however, if you knowingly
engage in unscrupulous practices of spamming or farming, then the
search engines will not look favorably on your website.
Fast and furious - if you suddenly receive a lot of backlinks in a short
period of time be cautious and a bit suspicious of where they are
coming from. This could be a sign that you are dealing with the wrong
type of backlink provider.
14. SEO Skyscraper-Reach the Top and Stay There!
14
5. Ten Keyword Mistakes
There are probably more than 10 mistakes an individual could
make with their keywords and through search engine optimization.
Once you learn the rules and how to read the general algorithms of
the search engines equation, then it will be somewhat easier to get to
the top of the search pages. Here are the top 10 common mistakes
people make when working in Search Engine Optimization.
10. Creating a Flash Website and no HTML Alternative
Many people think others will like a nice Flash website but
users and search engines don't care for them. If Flash is what your
material works best in, and your sure, then provide a version in HTML
as an alternative. Search engines do not like Flash sites because
they cannot read it so therefore they cannot index it and you do not
want that.
9. URLs are Ignored
Do not underestimate how important the URLs are for a
website. A keyword in the URL helps to boost a ranking - even
though SEO experts argue it is possible to rank high without a
keyword in the URL - a keyword in the URL is more important for
search engines like Yahoo! and Bing. Although Google does check
the URLs and it may not hold as much weight as the other search
engines, it is worth placing a keyword in for an extra level (or two) up
on the search results page.
8. Images Only for Headers
Using only images for menus and headlines could be costing a
website a high ranking on the search engine pages. Headlines and
menus are important to SEO marketing but not in images. If you do
not think your headlines look that great in plain text, try copying them
and rewriting them in a StyleSheet program.
15. SEO Skyscraper-Reach the Top and Stay There!
15
7. Placing too much Emphases on Meta Tags
Meta tags are, if they are not already, a thing of the past.
Search engine optimization is not only about getting your Meta tags
and descriptions right, but it's about keyword placement, backlinks
and so much more.
6. Title Tags
A common mistake many people make is to leave the <title>
tag blank or empty. It is very important to place a keyword in the
<title> tag for optimization because the search engines seek these
tags out for ranking and the tag shows the title of the page to the
search engine. With out this being filled in, the search engine
assumes there is no title and no website or no context to search and
rank.
5. JavaScript Menus
Search engines cannot read JavaScript. You can still build your
website with JavaScript, but you will need to add a lot of other
programs the search engine will be able to read. One way to allow
the search engines to 'read' or crawl through your website is to use a
sitemap or put the links in a no-script tag.
4. Spamming through Backlinks
Many people believe that the more backlinks they have the
better and this is not always the case, as a mater of fact, this may
never be the case. There are thousands and thousands of websites
that farm for individual's information through backlinks. A few good
quality backlinks are worth their weight in gold.
3. Maintenance and Consistency
Many website owners are misinformed. They believe that once
they have optimized their website and got as close to the top as they
think they can, they are done. They believe they can only optimize
their website once and that is the end of that. This is so far from the
16. SEO Skyscraper-Reach the Top and Stay There!
16
truth. A website owner needs to continually maintain his website and
consistently work search engine optimization. Learning what the
competition is doing and looking for more relevant keywords is a
good way to freshen up the website for the search engine 'feelers'
because they are always working.
2. No Keywords in the Content
When a website owner finds out that over use of the keywords
can cause them to be removed from the search engines, they tend to
do the opposite and use the keywords very sparingly or not at all.
This is a bad way to work SEO. Use the keywords where they make
sense. You can even bold or italicize them to help readers.
1. Wrong Keywords
A website owner thinks he has the right keyword and it is very
descriptive of his products but in actuality, it says nothing about his
merchandise. Choosing the correct keyword can make or break a
search engine optimization crusade to the top ranking. Again, think
about words with the same meanings. Millions of people will look up
something that make them better from being sick rather then
something from an illness. Sick and illness have similar meanings but
more people would use the common word over the proper one.
Be aware of these 10 mistakes and keep in mind your
keywords at all times. They are the driving force behind search
engine optimization and if used properly will bring a higher ranking to
your website again and again.
6. Google Alternatives
Some people may wonder if there are alternatives to Google. They
may know about Yahoo! and Bing but Google seems to own the
search engine world when it comes to rankings. This is not the case,
although most people who do not know anything about search engine
optimization would say Google is the 'owner' of SEO.
17. SEO Skyscraper-Reach the Top and Stay There!
17
Google does own the 'lion's share' of the webs popularity and
they do run the most optimizations. Therefore spending most of your
efforts targeting Google as your SEO is not necessarily a bad thing.
The only problem is that millions of other small websites, as well as
the larger ones, are also targeting Google. Some are succeeding
while others are not having much luck. You have to decide if it is
worth your time; if you are prepared to keep at it everyday; learn
everything you can about SEO and reinvent your website with new
keyword rich content every few days to attract the 'feelers' again and
again.
That type of dedication may not be for everyone. There are
Google alternatives that can help a website gain a high ranking for
those who search using various methods.
Yahoo! and Bing
Yahoo! and Bing are the second and third largest search
engines people use behind Google. They are sometimes tied for
second place and sometimes one is more popular than the other.
Optimizing your content for one of these sites is a lot like optimizing it
for Google, only the competition is not nearly as stiff. There are less
websites vying for first place, but there are still quite a few.
Search or Web Directories
Web directories or search directories as they are also called are
a specialized search engine. These specialized directories have the
advantage of being for a targeted audience, one that may be looking
for what you have to offer. This is a great way to have an audience of
website seekers looking for what your website has to offer without the
window shoppers. The people who are going to stop by your website
from one of these specialized directories will want to purchase what
you have to offer.
Random Search Engines
There are thousands and thousands of specialized and random
search engines around the world that people use every day. Many of
them most people have never heard of, but the ones that have hear
18. SEO Skyscraper-Reach the Top and Stay There!
18
of them enjoy using them for whatever reason and continue to use
them.
These random search engines range from the extremely
popular such as the former "Ask Jeeves" (now Ask.com) to the
extremely obscure "Surfweb." There are several search engines,
broken down by Meta searches, people, jobs, games and so on. You
can find a list of most of the major websites for search engine
optimization at this main website:
http://www.thesearchenginelist.com/
This is a comprehensive list of hundreds of search engines
from around the world on all different subjects and topics from Polish
language to medical news. Whatever your business is catering to,
there is a search engine that will be a match for it and can help to
rank your website high on their listings.
Another search engine listing to check out is:
http://www.searchengineguide.com/searchengines.html
This is also a broad listing of several search engines grouped
into different categories. There are businesses; computer or art
search engines and health or sports search engines to name a few.
Overseas Search Engine
Baidu is considered China's answer to America's Google
search engine. Although the problem-solving feature or algorithm of
Baidu is based on a formula from many years ago, it is still working
well today. Baidu is China's largest search engine and since China
has over a billion people, most all tech-savvy, ranking high on their
search engine would be a major accomplishment for your business.
If you sell globally, then it is worth putting in a little effort to
achieve a high ranking on Baidu. Google is less popular than Baidu in
China so here are a few tips to help you succeed in the Chinese
market:
19. SEO Skyscraper-Reach the Top and Stay There!
19
Chinese Keywords
Keywords and keyword phrases are an important part of
ranking high on Baidu just as it is with Google. Finding the right
Chinese keywords and keyword phrases may seem a little
challenging at first because there are several different Chinese
dialects with each dialect having a different word with several
meanings. One way to avoid this is to stick with on dialect. Baidu
prefers Pinyin Chinese therefore this would be the best choice.
Chinese Content
There are two options when it comes to your website and
optimizing for Baidu: set up a separate Chinese only website or
incorporate several pages of Chinese into your existing website.
The second option is easier and, if done properly, will not confuse
anyone visiting your website that does not speak or read Chinese.
Chinese Content Guidelines
Because there are strict rules in China, there are several
guidelines for what content is acceptable to use on your website. It
is important to follow the rules and guidelines when working with
China or there could be some tough consequences.
Pinyin Domain Name - Chinese Host
Baidu believes domain names are important. This means
that a keyword should be in your domain name and it should also
be in Pinyin Chinese. It doesn't matter if you are using a ".cn", a
".net" or a ".com" with your domain name. If you want additional
Baidu bonuses, host your domain with a Chinese host.
Metatags are Important
Metatags are very important to Baidu but do not over use
them. Do not stuff them with keywords, but remember that the
metatags need to be high quality to attract the 'feelers'.
Duplicate Content
Baidu hates duplicate content and will pass by your entire
website for the least little bit of duplicate content found. It is very
important to purge your website of all duplicates. One way to help
rid your website of duplicates is to run it through a "robots.txt" tool
20. SEO Skyscraper-Reach the Top and Stay There!
20
which will tell you which piece of content is safe to post and which
are not.
Only Simple Navigation Structures
Simple navigational structures are important with all search
engines, but with Baidu, they are even more important. The Baidu
search engine 'feelers' will not follow any link that is buried deep
within the content or links.
Bad Links Equal Penalties
There are always consequences when a website begins
linking to a link farm or otherwise hangs out in the bad
neighborhood. However, with Baidu the penalties are even more
severe. It is not worth the harsh penalties and consequences to
possibly receive a few more people clicking on your link. The same
could be said for too many links coming from your website.
Outbound links look suspicious to Baidu.
Java and Flash Scripts, iFrame
These tools are not great for Google but they are absolutely
hated by Baidu. It is very important to provide an HTML alternative
for your Flash and Java Scripts if you do use them. Stay away
from iFrames if you are going to target Baidu.
Crawlers
To make sure your website is picked up by Baidu, hopefully
in the top ten, it needs to be spider searchable. There are spider
simulator tools available online, some for free, that will help a
website owner make sure their website is 'spiderable'.
Having a website that is optimized for Baidu is not that much
different then having a traditional website optimized for Google,
Yahoo! or Bing. There is a lot of work, but in the end you will have a
higher ranking website, both here and in China, for your specific
niche market.
21. SEO Skyscraper-Reach the Top and Stay There!
21
7. Sandbox Effect
What is the Sandbox?
Google representatives have publicly denied its existence but
some of their lower-level employees have implied it does exist.
Search engine optimization experts swear Google uses this tactic but
cannot prove it. What is "it"? The Sandbox.
The Sandbox is a term search engine optimization marketers
use to describe the time their websites spend waiting to advance to
the 'grown-up' table at Google. In other words, Google makes new
websites wait in the sandbox until they have matured or added
significant age to the website before they will give them a ranking.
A new website could be optimized perfectly and catch on at
Yahoo! and Bing right away but will linger for up to eight months or
longer at Google before gaining a top ranking. This imposed sandbox
prison can last anywhere from one month to eight months, with few
lasting longer, but the typical stay in the sandbox is six months.
The Sandbox Theory Explained
When Google first began using the Sandbox, millions of new
website owners thought it to be very unfair. These website owners
had worked hard to choose the right keywords and content and
wanted to rank high on the most popular search engine on the planet.
They may have even grabbed a high ranking spot on Yahoo! or Bing,
but they were now regulated to the bottom of Google. What gives?
A new website owner in the sandbox can blame his new home
on blackhat practices. Some website owners who practice bad
marketing techniques such as creation of duplicate links, buying bulk
links or keyword stuffing are ruining things for the rest of the group.
Google wants to make sure that someone who is engaging in one or
more of these methods or other unethical practices has to wait a
while before they are allowed to sit at a coveted top spot on their
search engine pages. If a new site is gaining a lot of backlinks
overnight or the link is being used to support an older website. If this
22. SEO Skyscraper-Reach the Top and Stay There!
22
is the case, then these are fake websites and they do not need to be
indexed and catered to through a Google search.
How to Get out of the Sandbox
Unfortunately, there is no way out of the sandbox. Many
website owners have tried and tried to persuade Google to take them
out of the 'waiting pool' of search engine rankings and allow them to
swim with the others but nothing works. Everyone must do their time
in the sandbox and do it patiently without complaining because
throwing a fit will only bring more trouble to your door.
There are things a new website owner can do, while facing his
time in the sandbox, which will help him prepare his website to climb
the search engine rankings once his website is released from lockup.
Tips for Passing the Time in the Sandbox
Purchase expired or old domains - Google and the
sandbox effect is targeted for the newer domains and
newer sites. If you were to purchase expired or older
domains you could launch your website on them and
have an easier time with Google.
Gather good links and relevant content - once your
website is released from the sandbox, good backlinks and
relevant content will take your website to the top of a
search engine. Make sure you have these on your
website but obtain the links from trusted sources such as
Fortune 500 businesses, CNN and the like. For research,
trust sites with an .edu, .org or .gov as authoritative.
Go over your website and look at the less popular
keywords and see if you are topping the search pages for
one of those. A less popular keyword could mean more
business.
23. SEO Skyscraper-Reach the Top and Stay There!
23
8. Stay out of the Bad Neighborhood
There are a few things a website owner can control and a few
things he cannot control regarding search engine optimization. The
sandbox effect is something he cannot control; inappropriate online
relationships can be controlled.
Say Goodbye to Bad Neighbors
Links are a 'must-have' to be ranked high on any search
engine, especially Google. Links are what hold the Internet together
by weaving themselves with one another to form the 'web.' Both
outbound and inbound links are natural, but if you have more
outbound links this could be detrimental to your search engine
ranking. Additionally, where your website is linked, what
neighborhood is very important. If your website is linked to a website
in a 'bad neighborhood' you may be considered a bad egg and let go
from the search engine pool as well.
Labeled as a Bad Neighbor
There are many different reasons why a website would be
labeled as a bad neighbor:
Spamming
Keyword stuffing
Machine-generated pages
Doorway pages
Copyright violations
Duplicate content
Deceptive titles
Who's Who?
It may be hard to tell who is a bad neighbor and who is not from
the links. There is one way to know if the links you are linking too are
good or bad ones and that is to perform a link search through Google
and others with indices.
24. SEO Skyscraper-Reach the Top and Stay There!
24
Type "site:siteX.com" in your computers web browser. siteX is
the name of the website you are doing the checking on and if nothing
comes up, then Google has probably black listed them.
9. Using Facebook and Twitter to Optimize Traffic
Facebook
There are several social networks on the Internet but none as
powerful and far reaching as Facebook. In addition to being able to
socialize with friends and family near and far, an individual could
bring their business to the social media and have the network work
for them.
Facebook will help a business promote their services, their
product, specials and help them drive new clients to their website.
This social media phenomenon will also help to increase both online
and brick-and-mortar sales.
Here are the top 12 pieces of advice, which will help a business
owner when working with Facebook as a marketing tool:
1. Use Your Profile as a Weapon
You cannot become popular unless your profile is
interesting. Give good background info, enough to want
people to find out more.
2. Make Your Profile Public
If someone happens upon your profile, they may want to
support you. So make it easy for them by making your
profile public.
3. Use Your Wall and Photo Gallery
Facebook gives its users plenty of opportunities to tell the
world about themselves and if they are a business owner,
they could use these opportunities to tell their followers
about products and services they offer on their website or
at their real-world store.
Fill up the photo section with pictures of product and
happy customers using the products or receiving the
25. SEO Skyscraper-Reach the Top and Stay There!
25
services offered. Videos are another great way to draw in
perspective customers.
4. Network is Capital
Invite your friends, family, acquaintances, partners,
venders and clients to become your supporter on
Facebook.
Seek out others with similar interests, but do not be pushy
or create spam - this will not win friends.
5. Regular Posting
Regular posting to a Facebook account for a business is
critical to keep followers up-to-date as well as interested
in coming back to see what your company is doing.
6. Be as Active as Possible
The recipe for Facebook success includes more than
posting regularly, networking and a great profile. Get and
stay active. Participate in group activities with your
supporters and other people through Facebook.
7. Customize Your Pages
Facebook allows users to customize their pages but many
people do not know this or care to take advantage of this
great tool.
Have your page stand out among the crowd of pages.
8. Facebook Applications and Widgets
Customize your Facebook page with Facebook apps or
widgets. There are new Facebook apps and widgets
opening up everyday.
There is even a widget, which will allow a user to post to
both Facebook and Twitter simultaneously.
9. Facebook Social Ads
Similar to Adwords, Facebook Social ads are PPC ads
and will help bring traffic to your website.
10. Start a Group
Facebook is filled with various groups, but there probably
isn't one that is specifically arranged for you, your product
or what it is you are selling.
This is a niche you could fill and the upside is people will
be looking for anything and everything about this niche
and come to your group for help and guidance.
26. SEO Skyscraper-Reach the Top and Stay There!
26
11. Create Your Own Facebook Extensions
This step may not be for every Facebook profile owner;
however it is a good way to bring more traffic to your
website and visitors to your profile.
12. Use a Separate Business Profile
Some individuals are concerned about their privacy and if
this is the case, you can set up a personal Facebook
account as well as a business Facebook account. One
account can be split in to two or there could be two
completely separate accounts for more privacy.
Facebook is a changing and evolving enterprise. No matter
what you do with it today, it will most likely change tomorrow. Some
believe keeping up with Facebook is a full-time job and not worth the
effort while others believe the social media had a strong place in the
world. Either way, whether you like it or not, Facebook is here to stay
and working with it will benefit your business better than working
against it.
Twitter
Twitter is a relatively new phenomenon that is an SEO experts
dream. It will help a website owner gain a lot of targeted traffic to their
site in addition to being fashionable. Everyone seems to have a
Twitter account and they are posting updates about everything.
Twitter is a simple Web 2.0 style system that will probably go
out of style in a few years as something more exciting takes its place.
Business owners are urged to enjoy its success and what it can do
for them now.
There are restrictions to using Twitter, mainly the character
restriction. But as a free platform for gaining more traffic and then
updating followers, it can't be beat.
27. SEO Skyscraper-Reach the Top and Stay There!
27
Here are a few simple Twitter instructions:
1. Twitter Profile
Choose an interesting username and Twitter profile.
These are the first two things anyone will discover about
you and your business or what you are all about.
Don't be boring or similar to everyone else.
People will not want to read your post if they think your
profile is boring.
2. Niche-targeted User Name
Create a user name that is targeted to your niche.
Promoting a business through Twitter and your user
name could read something like this: CreativeWoman,
CreativeServices, CreateMarketing4U and so on for a
creative marketing services Twitter account.
Your user name shows in the searches so it is very
important to have one that describes who you are and
what you can do for the person searching.
3. Add URL/Blog Site to Profile
Be sure to add your URL to your profile bio. Recent
statistics showed that almost 80 percent of Twitter users
did not have an URL in their profile bio.
As an SEO marketer, it is important to for traffic to have
your websites URL in your profile for all to see.
4. Loyal Followers
Friends, family, co-workers and people you meet will be
your most loyal followers if you tell them where they can
find you.
Give everyone your Twitter address, or better yet, invite
them to join you with an invite sent to their email.
5. Use the Search Function
Hundreds of friends are good, but thousands or millions is
even better.
Use the search feature on Twitter to find new friends with
similar interests.
There is no limit to the number of new friends a person
can have, so invite as many as you can find that have
similar interests as you do.
28. SEO Skyscraper-Reach the Top and Stay There!
28
6. Regularly Tweet
Just like with Facebook, it is important to stay active on
Twitter.
Visit your follower's links, respond to their posts and stay
engaged in conversations as much as possible with
followers. This will increase chances of gaining more
followers and retaining the ones you already have.
Tweet relevant information and if you can't figure out what
to say, tweet a link to a good article, video or other clip
that would be helpful to your followers.
7. Twitter Socializing
Socialize on Twitter as much as you can. Twitter is similar
to Facebook but scaled down to a minimum of characters
and letters. This makes it quick and easy to Tweet on the
run, from anywhere.
8. Twitterfeed
This is a very useful tool that allows Twitter users to
extend their reach.
9. Spam
Do not spam. Not everyone is interested in your Tweets,
what you have to say or your business, no matter what
you may think. People who spam are banned from Twitter
and find it hard to get their accounts back.
10. Twitter Gadgets
There are thousands and thousands of Twitter gadgets
that will help your Twitter posts get noticed by the people
who will appreciate them the most. That would be the
people who want to know about your business and will
visit your site regularly, the people you want to attract.
11. Twitter is Real-Time, Google is Not
Twitters main advantage is its 'real-time' alerts, up-dates
and results. Google does not index in real time.
Bloggers and other writers are relying more on Twitter
feeds/posts for their news because it is updated faster
and more often then even Google.
12. Micro-Blogging
Figure out what you want to say and then pare it down to
the bare minimum, but make sure it makes sense. Twitter
posts need to be precise and to the point.
29. SEO Skyscraper-Reach the Top and Stay There!
29
Many think of their Twitter posts as puzzles - figuring out
how to say the same thing in fewer words.
Twitter is a great tool for SEO marketing of a business, big or
small. If you know how to work your Twitter account to gain more
followers that are interested in what you are doing or have to say,
your business website will see more visitors who are actually looking
to purchase something rather then just looking.
10. SEO Over-Optimization
A website owner can get caught up in the seedy side of search
engine optimization and begin practicing blackhat techniques that he
thinks will help him raise his ranking on the major search engines. In
actuality, what this website owner is really doing is cutting his
chances of getting on Google or one of the other top search engines
down to zero. This is because Google and the other major search
engines have a zero tolerance for anyone who tries to circumvent the
system.
You may find that your website is regulated to the last page of
the search engine listings for your particular theme or category or you
could find your website banned all together, never allowed to return if
the infraction was done on purpose.
Keyword Stuffing or Keyword Density
When a website owner places keyword rich content on his site,
it needs to make sense. Google and the other search engines like to
have a keyword density of around 3-7%, anything above this would
probably not make sense to a human reading the text. This is why it
is considered keyword stuffing.
Hidden Text and Doorway Page
These are two very manipulative practices that can get a
website banned for good from Google or other major search engines.
Hidden text is exactly what it sounds like. The text is usually hidden
as the same color as the background but still counted as text - even
30. SEO Skyscraper-Reach the Top and Stay There!
30
though no one can read it. This is a way of trying to fool search
engines into thinking the page is keyword rich and optimized.
The doorway pages appeared before Google introduced their
PageRank algorithm for ranking websites that abide by the rules. The
doorway page is a page that is specifically made for the search
engines and has no meaning for people who end up there. The
doorway pages are used to trick users to coming to the site and gain
a high ranking on the major search engines. They are annoying at
best and have little to do with keywords because upon arriving at a
doorway page, there is usually hidden text or you are immediately
transported to another page, which may or may not be relevant to
your search.
Spam Links
Spam linking is a major "no-no" when creating a search engine
optimization marketing program. Links are a very important part of
SEO and backlinking is expected and encouraged by Google and the
other major search engines. However, there are those who take
advantage of backlinks such as link farmers.
Content Duplications
Content should rule the site. The content should be original and
relevant to what is being offered to the public. This means that the
content can not be duplicated on another website or other page within
this same website. Each page of content should be new, fresh and
original content. Consumers do not like to read the same thing over
and over again; neither does search engine 'feelers.' A search engine
will simply pass over your website or your website will be regulated to
the bottom of the search engine for a time they deem necessary.
31. SEO Skyscraper-Reach the Top and Stay There!
31
Bring It All Together
There are a few key points to remember when working your
website for Search Engine Optimization.
As with all things, do not take the easy way. Anything worth
having is worth doing right so stay out of the Bad Neighborhoods,
stay away from the Black Hats and Spam Farms. Your website will
get to the top with hard work and good content.
Make sure your content is readable, relevant, current and
enjoyable. This will help to bring paying customers, customers who
want to purchase what you have to offer, back again and again to
your website. Offering good content that is also helpful and enjoyable
will help the website to climb the ladder to the top of a search engine.
Reach farther then you think you can by working a search
engine optimized website for another country. China and Baidu are
not the only country and search engine available for marketers and
businesses to enter. Do some research and you may come up with
several relevant search engines to your specific business in other
English speaking countries such as Australia or England. Tailor a
website to one of their specifications and see if your website can
climb to the top of their search engines. Just be sure to follow their
rules and guidelines to the letter.
Use as many marketing tools as you can to customize your
search engine optimized website. The SEO tools are available, most
of the time for free, to help a website owner succeed. Why not take
advantage of this help.
Emulate websites that have reached the top of the search
engine optimization ladder of success. This does not mean copy
them. It means do as they do and learn from what they have learned.
Learn what your competition is doing and be sure you are doing the
same or better.
32. SEO Skyscraper-Reach the Top and Stay There!
32
Learn to have fun with SEO and avoid the stressful pitfalls.
Finding the right keyword or keyword phrase can be a fun word game
and help to increase an individual's vocabulary.
http://bit.ly/1QSZDz3