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Tag: desired search terms

  • Links. Internal, External and Outbound

    The Internet is built on links. The search engines find websites via links from other site and visitors find appropriate pages via navigation links.

    All in all, this is what drives the ever-growing landscape. Because links are so important, we are going to talk today about various link types and how they are handled.

    Before we get into the different links, let’s define something real quick: anchor text.

    Anchor text is the part of a link that a person would see simply by viewing the site. You should know what a link looks like in HTML, but just in case, here it is:

    SEO Factor is the coolest.

    The part that says “SEO Factor is the coolest.” is not only true, it’s also the anchor text. So, the link would simply show that piece, but direct a clicker to the page declared in the ‘href’ portion. Simple, yeah?

    This is important because the anchor text is considered when a search engine views a link. Let’s say there is a link to your website that says “Orlando Hotel” on another site. Google would see this, go to your page and associate the anchor text. This is one of the many ways we associate our websites with a search term.

    OK, let’s talk link types.

    Internal Links

    Internal links are those that are on your website, that point to other pages on the same site. The navigation of your site would be a good example of this, but the SEO implications call for more attention. We need to not only consider the anchor text that we use to point to the pages of our site, but also where they are in relation to our content.

    Internal links that point to a page of your site nested within relevant content will help to establish a page’s relevance to a certain search term. So, not only do we need the right anchor text, we need to discuss the link within our content.

    The homepage of a site often touches on many aspects of the products, services or information that are also detailed in their own pages; like a ‘products’ page. Since we are talking about our products on the homepage, why not link to the right page with the right anchor text?

    Consider:

    • Internal links should have relevant search terms in the anchor text, pointing to relevant pages
    • They should be placed (not forced) in the content of our site’s pages, not just the navigation

    Bonus: Internal linking is of the utmost importance when conducting on-page optimization. Not only does proper internal linking increase usability, it also has a big impact on rankings. But it’s important to do it right. For a slightly more advanced look at the subject, Ken Lyons over at WordStream wrote a great post with some internal linking tips that are simply fantastic.

    External Links

    Also known as inbound links. These are links that point to your website from another website. This is the meat of SEO today (and for the last few years). Getting links pointing to your site from other websites with a lot of links pointing to them, with a keyword for the anchor text is what we SEOs spend countless hours chasing.

    I wrapped up a lot in that last statement, so let’s take a general look at the parts of external links that matter in relation to optimization.

    You want links pointing to your site from relevant websites. A website about cars will do little for your hotel website (unless it’s something so grand as Edmunds.com or some such; different topic all together though).

    You want links pointing to your site from sites that have a lot of links themselves. This means, a brand new website won’t help too much (note that we shouldn’t turn these down though). The more links pointing to your website, the higher it’s importance as according to a search engine. So it goes that a link from such an important site would really help our site.

    When a website links to your site, we want to convince them to use a desired keyword or search term as the anchor text. Remember that this will help a search engine associate your site with that term. This is sometimes the tricky part, but that’s what we want.

    Consider:

    • Links from important sites are good.
    • Links from relevant sites are good.
    • Links with desired anchor text from other sites are good.

    Outbound Links

    Outbound links are links on your website that point to other websites. You might be thinking “why would I want to give out my links to other sites, giving them credit?” At start I would say “you’re right. By linking to others, you are giving some of your link juice to them.” But there’s a bit more to it. There are also ways we can manage the juice we give to other sites.

    Linking to other websites may be a great way to provide your potential patrons with area information to help them decide on your hotel, or perhaps linking to information on the SBA.org site would help to justify the need for your B2B services you provide (we do that one a lot). So, we don’t want to throw out the idea of linking to others all together.

    There is a thought that linking to very relevant website, especially noted authoritative sites as deemed so by Google will in fact help the legitimacy of your website, and thus your rankings. I’m not so certain on that, but the logic of being associated with the right circles is there.

    We do, however want to ensure we aren’t linking to completely irrelevant websites. Not only does this give them some of your link juice, but it reflects poorly on the professionalism of your site, in both the eyes of a search engine and a visitor.

    We also don’t want to link out to other sites excessively. Having links to the nearest 100 local businesses will look very suspicious, and the amount of juice given away is far too great.

    We want to be careful with the anchor text we use in order to link to other websites. We don’t want to use one of our desired search terms to link to someone else, associating their site with said search term.

    I feel, that if you are linking to a website that would benefit your visitors, then they should get a little benefit from it in regard to search engines.

    However, if you want to keep all your link juice to yourself, you can use the nofollow attribute. This is a part of the link that will tell Google not to follow the link (it is not clear that they won’t follow it anyway) and that you don’t want to give them any of your link juice (this part is true). This would keep all the juice to yourself. You can see a nofollow link written like this:

    SEO Factor is the best.

    Please note that the nofollow attribute is widely known about. Excessive use of the nofollow could ostracize you, and prevent others from linking to you. Be careful.

    Consider:

    • Linking to other sites will give some of your link credit or “juice.”
    • Linking to other sites should only be done so in a way that would benefit your visitors.
    • Excessive outbound links will have a negative impact on your site in several ways.
    • Don’t use one of your search terms as the anchor to an outbound link.
    • We can use the nofollow attribute to keep the juice on our site, but that isn’t playing nice.

    On a slightly related note, people still fall into reciprocal linking schemes by which they link to other sites if they agree to link to you. I strongly advise against it. In moderation, a few reciprocal links aren’t bad, and may help. But that should be a distant last on your list of “things to do to increase links to your site.”

  • How Long Is This Going to Take?

    Posted by admin on Wed, 02/13/2008 – 21:10

    One more introduction topic to start this SEO eBook, and then we will start to get into the good stuff.

    We know how important an SEO strategy is, and we know what some of the basic ideas are, but how long is this whole ordeal going to take? First, let me say that a question like that means you are likely thinking of SEO or Internet marketing as a plug in for your site, and not as a permanant aspect. Try to get around that as quickly as possible.

    You SEO/SEM/Internet Marketing campaign needs to be a part of your long term strategy. There are no quick and easy returns in this environment, and chasing such goals will leave you spinning your wheels. However, the idea of the question is not a bad one, we just need to word it a bit differently. Successful people don’t have all the right answers, they ask all the right questions.

    How long will it be before you see results? This depends on your goals. With strict regard to SEO and rankings, it’s often not as bad as most people might think. When you start looking at conversions, ROI, and profit margins, things get a little thicker. Because I want to try to keep this eBook as beginner oriented as possible, I’ll try to focus on the rankings/traffic aspect. But even with that, there are a few factors.

    Brand New Sites
    If you just started a site (less than a month ago), you’re in a situation where you will see the most waiting time. First, the search engines have to find and index your site. A brand new site can usually be indexed within a week. At the time of my writing this page, I am seeing indexed sites within a few days.

    Once indexed, the site has to rank. With proper optimization and promotion efforts you should see “results” within about 3 weeks. “Results” is in quotes because though you may see something happening, the site’s success is far from fruition. You might see a few more indexed pages, or rankings for your search terms within the first 10 – 15 pages of the results.

    At about 3 months, you should see a few terms within the first 5 pages of a search engines results for desired search terms At 6 months you should see a few page 1 terms, and perhaps a recognizable flow of traffic. By 9 – 12 months, you should see good rankings across the board, large chunks of page 1 rankings, and a steady flow of traffic.

    Aged Sites
    If you have a site that’s been up for a while, and it’s not indexed, then there’s a whole new issue. There may be technical problems with the site, or there may be a ban or penalty in place. Either way, if we have an older site not indexed, the site is going to need some attention. We will be going over these issues later, so don’t worry too much.

    Assuming there are none of the issues above, aged sites that are indexed will see results much sooner than newer ones. A simple title/internal link/keyword research overhaul could indeed do wonders. With proper optimization and promotion efforts, you can usually cut the time it takes to see results for newer sites in half.

    Now, looking at these timeframes, you may be thinking that this is just way too long. To that, I ask you to consider how long you plan on being in business. Do you not plan on running a successful business 5 or 10 years from now? You Internet marketing campaign should be a part of that success the whole time, so the first year will breeze by. It’s a long term process for long term successes.

  • Questions To Ask You SEO Company » SEO Factor

    Can you show me proof of your methods working?

    This is usually the first question that a client wants to ask. And it is perfectly understandable. SEO can be a very expensive service, and a lot of your business rides on it’s success. Unfortunately this is a tricky one. With website design, it’s easy to show a portfolio. In this business, many clients don’t want anyone to know who they used, especially if it worked. The idea is to dissect every method that a company or person is going to apply. Ask as many questions as you can. Make good use of the following questions and you should have enough information to make an educated decision.

    Tell me what methods you plan on applying when trying to rank my site.

    This is important because you really should know what’s going on. There are methods that can not only not help your ranking, but get your site into a lot of trouble with the search engines. Try to get at least a basic rundown on what a specialist is going to do to optimize your site. It’s easy enough to find Google’s webmaster guidelines on the Internet. Match them up and see if everything they plan on doing is OK.

    What do you mean by “optimize” my page?

    Even if you can’t quite grasp everything that we as specialists do in this respect. Try to understand the difference between making good use of your target terms on your page, and spamming. Take note that a person or company is not applying illegitimate methods like hiding text or making it so small you can’t see it.

    How many links will you promise my site? And where will they come from?

    There are many services out there that promise a large amount of links in a short amount of time. One of two things will likely happen. Either these are automated, providing you with a piece of code to put on your site so as to easily add and trade links with others in the same program. Or, you will be getting a large amount of links from places that are not relevant, in turn not helping. Link popularity, when done correctly, is time consuming and tedious. Thus creating a price that seems almost unfair. But the rewards are more than worth it. Link popularity will not only get traffic from other relevant sites, but also help in the search engines. There are a few posts about link popularity on the SEO Blog and FAQ’s page, so check them out when deciding on a service.

    How long will it take for my site to gain ranking?

    This is, at the same time, my favorite and most hated question. SEO takes some time. But the time it can take for a site to rank can be even longer. If you are promised that you will gain ranking within days, or even months depending on your desired search terms, really do some homework. Some terms are very competitive and it will take a great deal of time to rank. Usually, there aren’t too many terms that can not be handled in under a year. Methods that rank a site quickly, are sometimes a little on the gray side of acceptable practices. There is a saying in this field. “Fast. Quality. Cheap. You can pick any two, but you can’t have all three.” There are cases that a site can rank quickly, most often involving scarce competition or local services. Be sure to ask how the time line you are given was decided upon.

    Hopefully, with these questions in your arsenal, you will be able to choose a service that will meet the needs of your business. If you have any questions regarding a service, feel free to email us. Note that I will not be able to give opinions on the validity of a specific company offering a service. I have honestly not ever used another service other than my own. But if there is anything that you need help in figuring out, we will be happy to assist.

  • SEO-Factor: Search Engine Optimization & Website Marketing, Promotion FAQ’s, and help

    • What is SEO?

      • SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is the act of editing and optimizing a site to provide the maximum potential of ranking and traffic. SEO has become as important, if not more important than the design of the site itself. Truly optimizing a site is very time consuming and contains very many variables ranging from the content on the site to the way other sites and search engines view your site.

    • Why should I optimize my site?

      • If you simply design a website and place it on the internet without consideration given to optimization, then your site will miss very many opportunities to be seen by the public. Search engines have a main concern to produce relevant results to a searcher so as to strive to become the number one search engine. Surely you have heard the commercials by Yahoo! Advertising that they will return the most relevant results when using their service to find what you need. So you can see how important it is to optimize your site to appeal to the search engines so they may use your site as a result of a web surfer searching on the Internet.

    • So how does on optimize a website?

      • First and foremost, you need to have a direction. Ask yourself, if I were a consumer, and I wanted to find my product on a search engine, what would I type? This is only the first step, but should help you in determining how you are going to optimize your site. The content on the site is very important, and you will want to know what subjects to concentrate on while writing the copy of your site. You will want to make the information on your website relevant to the terms that you have chosen so as to appeal to any potential web surfer.

    • Why should I optimize my site?

      • If you simply design a website and place it on the internet without consideration given to optimization, then your site will miss very many opportunities to be seen by the public. Search engines have a main concern to produce relevant results to a searcher so as to strive to become the number one search engine. Surely you have heard the commercials by Yahoo! advertising that they will return the most relevant results when using their service to find what you need. So you can see how important it is to optimize your site to appeal to the search engines so they may use your site as a result of a web surfer searching on the Internet.

    • Oh, I just need keywords then?

      • No. Creating a list of keywords is only the first, and a very small part of optimization. Appealing to the search engines also involves making the rest of the Internet aware of your presence by implementing inbound links to your site and providing a genuinely relevant information or services. Simply implementing the keywords meta tag, will bring very little if any benefit. Most search engines no longer even give any attention to the keywords. Click hereto find out more about our optimization services.

    • A friend told me that I can just put my terms all over my site, and the search engines will find me most relevant.

      • Optimizing a website used to involve placing your desired search terms throughout the website so that a search engine crawler would see their liberal use. This is known as “keyword stuffing.” However, gone are the days when this was good enough. Obviously, your search terms will appear on your homepage as they are likely terms that you would normally use when discussing your area of business, but you don

  • SEO Factor Blog

    October 9, 2006 Google filed for a patent recently that would allow for algorithmic ranking, along with the efforts of human editing. This would mean that the build of the work in determining ranking and results would rest with a computer, but would be helped with the integration of editorial opinion. You can read the patent details here. So, what does this mean? This means that there is a chance that a human will make a piece of the decision on how relevant or beneficial a site would be in reference to it’s visibility online. So it would be a good idea to make sure that your sites are indeed built for the human. This shouldn’t be anything new, but will help to re enforce what is considered acceptable SEO practice. Sites shouldn’t really be built for the search engines, but for the end user/visitor/buyer. Even as a consultant, I often tell my clients that we will not be optimizing a site for the search engines as my title implies, but optimizing a site to show the search engines what the site is all about. When you concentrate on the search engines, you neglect what is really important, and what the site was created for in the first place, the customer. This patent will force that along because there will be a person looking at your site and giving an opinion on how important the site is to the online community, how relevant it is to it’s desired search terms, and whether or not it will be considered an authoritative source of information or services. So if you’re creating a site for the algorithmic machine, then you’re probably going to be disappointed when someone at Google looks at your site with destain and sends it to the bottom of the list.

    However. Just because a search engine submits for a patent, it doesn’t mean that they will implement any of the changes. These are public records, and could very well be a ‘Art of War’ kind of situation. Smoke and Mirrors. Illusions of the mind. Either way, the same rule holds true. Make a nice site, for your customers. Not some stupid robot.

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  • SEO Factor Blog

    October 9, 2006 A press release is an article written on or about your company, site, product, or whatever. In respect to marketing, this will accommodate the exposure of your writing when promoted to many avenues of online press release viewers and publications . This is a good thing that can lead to a better thing. If someone reads your press release, and then writes an article for a local paper or some other medium, you get that much more exposure. There are press release services ranging from writers to promoters, to both. And depending on the release and amount of work that goes into it, it can be one of the easiest and most inexpensive ways of marketing online. But a good press release is important. Obviously, a press release will bring reader attention to your site. But there are far more benefits to them as well. There are a large number of sites that allow you to search for a press release or related news. That being said, you will want to take the same on-page optimization considerations when compiling your press release. This means good use (not stuffing) of your desired search terms, “internal” linking to pages or services on your site, and a link to your homepage on the press release. The links are especially important because, once distributed, these can, and most often do, provide a one way link to your site. We all know how important that is. You will also want to make sure that the press release grabs the attention. Nobody wants to read boring stories or sales pitches about things they don’t want to hear about. Make it compelling enough to make people want to go to your site. One press release is not enough. It’s a good idea to release one every 30, 60, and 90 days, at a maximum of three or four in total. This will show follow ups on your product, etc. The idea is to make the first press release an introduction to your business and site. The second one should be some sort of show of success or exceptional service offered, perhaps with testimonials. The third should show how well the site is doing, and maybe promote a different service or product following a touch on the previous press release topics. This will show a continuity, and increase the likelihood that someone will not only read and go to your site, but spread the word a little bit more.

    In conclusion, a good press release is a very neglected, but extremely rewarding marketing plan that should get as much attention as the “optimization” of your site.

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