Search Engine Optimization
This month we would like to discuss Search Engine Optimization, also known as
SEO. This is how you get listed in the search engines such as Google, Yahoo, MSN
and Ask.com, to name a few. Everyone wants to be listed on the front page. But
believe it or not, you need to know more about this than you think.
Lets say you have a company called Joe's Lunch. You use one of the search engines,
use Joe's Lunch as your search term, and you come up on the front page. You may
think your search engine optimization is done. But it isn't. If a client already
knows the name of your restaurant, you will get them to come back with this scheme.
But you also need to know that for people who don't know your restaurant's name,
they will likely never find you.
Things like location, the type of restaurant you have, the different types of
food you sell will all come into play.
Using single words will not help you. As an example, go to Google.com and type
the word sub. Look at all the responses you get in return. How many are about
food, and how many are about the military? So lets set up some qualifiers.
If you are located in Boston, then Boston becomes your first qualifier. You are
a sub shop, so there is your 2nd qualifier. You sell cheesesteaks, tuna, chicken,
italian and meatball subs. Those turn into more qualifiers. What that can turn
into for a search meta tag would be:
boston sub shop, cheesesteaks tuna chicken italian meatball subs, sub shop boston
This covers you on a few levels:
boston sub shop
boston sub shop cheesesteak subs (insert each kind of sub in place of cheesesteak
for more versions)
sub shop boston
cheesesteak subs boston (again, insert each kind of sub in place of cheesesteak
for more versions)
Now you are covered frontwards and backwards. Some may use the qualifier boston
first, while others may use it last.
Who is best at deciding what the keywords should be? YOU! Why is that? Becuase
you know your business or subject matter better than a web designer would. You
come up with the words, and a web designer will help you formulate search terms
to be added into your site.
Depending on your budget, you can take this further. Page names can be made using
your search terms. Title tags (the blue bar at the top of every browser) is another
great way to get your page indexed.
While a site will look plain if you use text links as your main ones, you do need
to have text links to every single page you have. You usually find this at the
bottom of a website.
There are two type of sitemaps to use. A standard one where it has all the links
to your site listed. This is important as you want the search engines to index
all of your pages. You only get to submit one page to the search engines. Make
sure that page has a sitemap text link on it.
The other type is a Google sitemap. This is written in xml. Google uses this to
index your site quicker because you need to verify the website site, then the
sitemap is accepted.
Your webmaster will set up a Google account for you, build out the sitemap, and
verify your site.
Depending on your budget you can also add in Sponsored links. These are paid for
by setting a monthly limit for spending. Then you set an amount for for each time
a potential customer clicks on the link.
But your budget will determine just how much you can do with your search engine
optimization.
But don't be taken by any webmaster or SEO house that try to talk you into paying
high MONTHLY fees, as it simply isn't needed. Don't accept that setting up splash
pages with a bunch of keywords will work for you. Google and the others frown
upon it. They will knock your domain out of their engines when they catch on.
Finally, one of the best ways to get noticed fast is going through a website called
dmoz.org. The search engines of today send out bots that read your site, index
your pages. This can take up to 6 weeks to accomplish, and then you start moving
up the search engine ladder.
But with DMOZ, they use real live human beings (imagine that) to look at your
pages to make sure your content, meta tags match what you're adding to their index.
I'm sure not that long ago you have gone to search for something, got a result
that looked like it matched what you wanted, but when you went there it was really
about something else. Usually porn.
Between search engines getting smarter, and with a huge helping hand from the
people of DMOZ, This happens less and less. DMOZ will help you out if your site
is what you claim it is. But they will deny you if you use schemes that are not
acceptable to the search engines.
We hope you have gained some insight into the world of SEO. This was a simplified
version of what goes on, but one you need to know before you get onto the SEO
bandwagon. When you're ready to go forward, your webmaster will be able to help
you find the right plan of action, based on your budget and needs.
|
