Search Engine Optimization and the Social World

SEO is changing at a rapid speed and one of the biggest reasons is the changing social nature of the web world.

Changes in SEO are also due to constant changes in the search engines themselves. For instance Google boost is the latest development. What is interesting is to know what motivates these changes. A simple answer could be the end profits. We could also consider the fact of increased satisfaction of users. So we can safely say that customer satisfaction automatically translates into profits and great market shares. Knowing that changes will improve profits and will help to maintain the market share instead of loosing to big competitors always keeps the search engines on their edge.

Google measures the users’ satisfaction through tools such as the low bounce rates, click- through rates and a range of other metrics. These metrics are considered as the social signals too. The data required for these metrics is available to Google through Google toolbar; customs search engines and Google analytics. These data collected is constantly being used to research ways and means to increase the market share using new techniques and innovations. Another reason that keeps the search engines on the toes
is the free services provided by all the search engines. For a customer switching to a new search engine is just a matter of a click.

Apart from Facebook and Twitter being the obvious examples of social media interaction, forums, complaints, articles and reviews are some other ways of collecting data and studying the mood of the end user.

Certain interesting information that is derived from here includes reference to your site and volume of activity. The sentiments of the end user also are the signal to the search engines to decide whether they are on right track or not.

Social behavior effects SEO and they provide positive inputs that should be adopted for optimistic results. Meaningful information along with graphics and short texts is definitely a success story as per many researches. However, long texts are also as important as they help search engines to get context that is not available from other signals.

Steps to High Ranking On Search Engines!

SEO world can be an intimidating experience for the newcomers. Especially with jargons as canonicalization and page rank sculpting and many others such obscure terms are being used in the industry today.

While the newcomers may consider the SEO industry to be completely hyped and maybe even confusing, there are many minute points that have profound effect on the ultimate results. Simply put, the most effective results are possible only after an in depth study of the user that you may be trying to target. It is ultimately the user that decides the profile, look and feel of the top ranking sites on the search engines. The top few search engines themselves spend immense resource, time and energy to figure out what exactly the users are looking for with the words they type. The more they understand the user, more is their revenue.

Therefore, it can be safely said that it is the user of the search engine who drives the algorithms and the refinements there on. The job of the seasoned SEO is to understand the end user, the key words that they use for a specific search and how best they can be served digitally. The first question that should come to mind as an SEO when narrowing on a particular keyword is what information is the user trying to look for through it and does my site have all of those in a way that is strikingly different and better from all the other sites competing with the same information.

Designing the site around the needs of the user does not guarantee the first place but it definitely sets the process in place. The next most important thing after attaining the desired place on the search engine is to maintain it. To face the competitors is a tough task that has to be conquered with quality content. The information on your site should be relevant and latest to keep the users hooked on. The user’s query should be satisfied in a way that is much better than that of the competitor’s. Having a structured ongoing strategy for content is definitely going to be helpful.

SWF Content Indexing Has Got Even Better

The indexing of content for Flash Players has got better in recent past. Around 2 years back, Google forged a collaboration with Adobe with the objective of improving Google’s potential to work on indexing Flash based content in terms of indexing. This advanced was followed a year later by the concept of external resource loading which furthered Google’s ability to index SWF. This advancement would make room for helping one index text files with the help of flash buttons and menus given in flash based websites. Nowadays, while working on any SWF file on any website, a user can have a look at almost any text. This is done with the help of Googlebot and this generates a snippet through Google searches. Moreover, Googlebot is also able to unearth URLs in these files and also track the links thereby making it possible for Google to index web pages also.

About a month back, Google came up with their latest progress in this area and this time it was a joint venture between Google and Adobe that would enable users to work on the latest Flash Players. The application is much better in terms of compatibility. This could be made possible because of progress in the area of JavaScript and SWF. This led to the improvement in video indexing as well. This has given rise to higher detection of a page having video and also of metadata which can be better extracted including thumbnails like Flash Player based videos. Therefore, the indexing technology used in SWF would be much better and enable us to glance thousands of pages on the internet.

In the opinion of Google, though, this is not the end and further features are in the offing. The next target is to better deep linking in terms of indexing as well as the betterment of SWF technologies by using JavaScript. This can also be done with the help of one Flash object if we submit a Sitemap in Google Webmaster Tools. But as mentioned earlier, this is not all. The technology is fast changing and more updates are awaited.

Bettering Web Traffic Conversions

What any web based business looks forward to is to optimize web traffic as much as possible. And the first step in this regard is to create a meaningful website. In the process of ascertaining that the website is actually worth visiting, one should keep in mind that the best way to understand this is by mapping visitors on the business. It is only after this step is in place that one can think of converting these occasional visitors into regular visitors.

The initial steps involved in mapping what visitors do when they visit a particular website are to be certain about what is exactly to be displayed. This involves the understanding of what is expected of the visitors to gauge from the website. Secondly, one should also keep a tab on where should a certain web page lead visitors to.

These objectives should be first assessed and executed properly. Then the next step is to gain insight into visitor landing behavior. The best thing to do in this case is to resort to Site Analytics and one may use Google Analytics in this regard. One should take a stock of the bounce rates and exit rates since that would give an idea of how well the top landing pages are working. The report of Entrance Paths from Google Analytics would provide us with an idea of the webpages that visitors have visited from a certain page and the ratio of visitors who have visited next pages. Next in line is the Site Overlay which gives us the idea of the percentage of CTR of a website’s webpage and the various links so that one can know visitors who spend considerable time at a website go next.

The next step is to optimize occasional visitors into conversions. Some suggestions are as follows:

• Top pages of the website to be at the extreme left from the main navigation (horizontal) or it may also be at the top of the navigation (vertical)
• Links (text) in the copy of the body should be in tune with the webpages that these lead to. That would help achieve more conversions.
• The best offerings of the website are to be above the fold of the main webpage. This would ensure the website being explored more.

How the SEO is affected by Changes in a Website.

Making drastic changes to one’s website can affect the Search Engine Optimization (SEO). A major factor determining the traffic a website receives through search engines is the inbound links. People link to websites based on the content, appearance and so on. If there are changes made in the website then the question will arise as to whether those who had linked to the website earlier would still want to do so. It is not a matter that the search engine can resolve. However, it can decrease the effective value of such links for a while until it is established clearly as to whether people are continuing with the links. The following are a few of the significant changes made in a website that can affect the SEO.

• URL STRUCTURE

Often websites are completely redesigned without changing the content. Despite that search engines take a while to realize this. Due to the fact that the relationships between the different pages in the website have been restructured, the search engine may take several weeks or even months to understand the new website’s structure and content.

• DOMAIN

Change of the domain of a website is a massive change from the perspective of search engines. There can be various reasons behind such a change. For instance a website might have initially had a “.com: domain and later obtain the “.net” variant of the same domain and the website publishers may wish to switch domains.

• THEME

Changes in themes can be of many kinds. One kind can be when a website makes additions to the theme. For instance a website on auto insurance can add a section on home insurance. In such a case the new sections will take time to generate traffic and the older sections too can be devalued for a period.

• CONTENT

Change in the content of a website will definitely make the search engine treat the website differently. The basic factor behind this is the question whether those who had linked to the page earlier would continue to do so when the content of the website has changed.

• WHOIS

A change in the Whois of a website is another example. This is because such a change can represent change in ownership of the website. A simple change of e-mail address may not be seen as a significant change. However change in the name and address of the registrant will be regarded as such.

Effective Tips for Search Engine Optimization!

Getting your site listed among the top few on the most popular search engines may not be really tough but is definitely difficult to decide where to start from. Listed below are the few tips that will help you in Search engine optimization.

• Do not go in for a new domain until and unless it is a compulsion and you cannot do without. The top few search engines gives a lot of credence to the longevity of the domain. Even if the old domain can be directed to the new domain, it is best when avoided. If it is absolutely essential to change the domain, expect a lull in the traffic flow for atleast the first few weeks. It will gradually get back to your previous traffic statistics.

• Target your end customer and not the search engines when designing your site. Remember that the search engine looks for what your target customer types in. Therefore, try to meet the needs and requirements of your end customer. Try to meet their needs and your site will automatically end up with a lot of traffic. A great way to know your audiences and what exactly goes through their mind is to be a part of forums and discussions where they may hang out.

• The trick to maximum traffic is to have a set of effective key words. You must first accumulate whole lot of keywords that you think your target customer may use to reach you. This set of key words should be reached at after a lot of research. There are various tools that you can use for research of key words. Try to be specific with your key words and not general for sure.

• Simple specifications with your product and services will be extremely effective. For instance, if your product is cream, simply try to write it as ‘face cream’ or ‘cream for acne’ and you are sure to see more traffic to your site who may be looking for specific creams. Do not over use any particular key word or phrase. Try to look out for other options as well. 

• Work on your website and key words effectively and smartly and see your profits grow in leaps and bound within no time at all!

Importance of Density of Keywords

Keywords can easily be categorized as the most important tool for increasing the visibility. They play the most important role in organically moving up in ranking on all the significant search engines. It is therefore, vital to implement certain important SEO strategies for the desired result.

To start with let us first understand what a keyword exactly is? A keyword is a word that can be associated with your products and services and will be used by perspective clients to look out for you. This word is recognized by the search engine spiders as it crawls through the articles and sees it being used several times. It is then picked up for searchers who may be searching for this key word.

Apart from the thorough research of keywords that is a must, placement and the density of keywords play an equally important role. Remember “over stuffing” your articles with key words is a disaster. A spider will easily detect that the over usage of keywords is to trick and get ranked higher up in the search engine. In such a case you will be penalized. Your other pages may also get affected. It is rather important to maintain a certain density that will help the page go up the ranking and will not irritate the reader too. Each web master has their own criteria of density based on the previous research and experience.

You can stick to your keyword density as long as you do not over optimize and are making profit with the density you have maintained. Mostly a density of 3-5percent is maintained in an article of about 500 words.

A great way to ensure high ranking of your article and hence more money is to maintain an “hour glass” density of keywords. This simply means to have more keywords at the beginning and end of the article and less in between.

Enjoy the success of your article with the desired result by simply using the keywords smartly at regular intervals without annoying the reader and the search engine spiders.

Ways to Attract Traffic from Social Networking Sites

Social networking is extremely popular today among all age groups. It is an excellent way to keep in touch with all your friends and relatives but did you know that these social working web sites can effectively be used to attract the target audience too? You can use it to promote your products and services.

Facebook is easily one of the most popular social networking web sites. Many marketers believe that it is only a matter of time that the traffic to Facebook and other social networking sites will surpass the traffic of Google or similar popular search engines. Facebook offers some amazing possibilities that make it an excellent tool for marketing.

SEO’s may help you to get familiar with the various social networking sites. They can even provide you with a list of them where your advertisements or links can be posted apart from you being a member on it.

Similar to the social networking sites are a few forums that work as an excellent vehicle of marketing. Being a part of these forums and discussions will let you know what exactly is happening in the market too.

The first step in using Facebook as an effective marketing tool is to make your profile as a powerful weapon. Make your profile public and give enough information that may be required to speak of your product or services.

Include as much information about your site on your wall and some photographs too for the sake of authenticity. Use the photo gallery exhaustively.

Post regular updates of all the events related to your site, products or services. If the updates are not regular then the traffic to your profile will slow down affecting the traffic to your site.

Build your network. Your network is your capital. Build your network as per your target customer and audience.

Ensure that your SEO designs a site that supports the links from the social networking sites. If your SEO is responsible for the marketing aspect of your site as well, make sure that the social networking sites are being used as an effective tool.

Effective Tips for Search Engine Optimization!

All businesses with online presence are vying for the maximum number of target visitors or audiences and eye balls. Certain effective tips are sure to get you the desired results.

• Use the <b> tag effectively on all your pages. Do not over do them or use on all possible keywords. Once or twice in a page is just enough.

• Great content is sure to attract a lot of search engines to your site and you are sure to get tons of back links too. All pages of a website with links talk of a content rich site. Shallow contents have links to homepage only.

• It is a smart idea to have your self included in the directories for websites of companies based in other countries. Inclusion in various directories increase your geographical limits manifold.

• Social bookmarking is an important tool for search engine optimizations. Make social bookmarking easy for your visitors thereby creating links that is valuable for the search engines.

• Newsletters and articles in various article directories help to keep the links alive for a long time frame. The directories may be one or multiple. Relevant directories are always of great help.

• It is a fantastic idea to have multiple domains if your topic supports many sub topics. Multiple domain helps to get more directories listing as a search engine usually list only one page per domain.

• Article exchange helps you get both links and great content for both the sites. Article exchange should be given preference over the link exchange for sure.

• Have a well laid out site map with each page linked to it. It is an effective tool for the surfers and an easy link. This should especially be done for big complicated sites.  Site with fewer pages need site map as well. This they refer to at times as the navigation bar. Navigation bar helps in moving through the site with ease and helps in retention of visitors longer.

Tips for Google Search Engine Optimization

Google is easily among the top few search engines in the world today. To get rated high on Google translates straight to high online visibility.

There are a set of basic techniques that are used for search engine optimization. Effective use of these techniques is sure to get you maximum target eyeballs. Some of this technique includes

• Choose the Right Keyword

Choosing a set of keywords that are most relevant to your web site should be the first step for your Google search engine optimization. When making the list concentrate on niche keywords that perfectly describes your product and services instead of focusing on the general terms. Each page of the web site should be supported by at least 2-3 highly targeted keywords.

• Choose the Relevant Domain Name and Title Tag

The two most determining factors for Google ranking are the title tag and the domain name. Make sure that the keywords feature well in the domain name and the title tag to get a higher ranking almost instantly.  A domain name with the company name will not fetch the desired rank in the minimum time frame. Title tag of each page should also preferably have the keywords.

• Use the Right Density of Keywords and Tags

Tags seem to be completely overtaken by style sheets lately and are rare compared to how it was used initially. Sprinkling keywords all over the page is a good idea though it should not be more than 7% to 10% of the total number of words. Do not over do the keywords but try not to overlook them either. Effective use is sure to increase your ranking on Google search engine.

• Increase Your Linking Substantially

Back links are sure to get your pages ranked higher. The most important part here is to have a good web site so that other web sites link back to it. A simple link at the bottom of each page of other sites will directly boost your number of visitors. Remember that the back link sites should be relevant and not your competitors for sure.

Improve Your Online Presence with Some Easy SEO Tips and Tricks

The success of your online business absolutely depends on your search engine rankings. Your online presence determines the popularity of your website among the internet users who are seeking the products and services that you are offering. Hence, you need to consider your online visibility and work on it. Follow these SEO tips and tricks to boost your website’s ranking to amplify your online sales.

• Research the keyword and identify the terms that are related to your products and services and the most popular among the internet users.

• Optimize the content of your website around those keywords in a proper manner so that the web page appears on the top 10 rankings of the search engine when an internet user is searching for the term.

• Make sure that the HTML source code is optimized properly to highlight those keywords along with proper indexing of each page on your website. This way even the search engine spiders will not have any problem.

• Create inbound as well as outbound links from other websites and to other websites also that are relevant to your website but they are not your competitors. So build up your linking strategy well

• Keep checking the search engine placements of your website on regular basis. Always be proactive for all the fine-tuning and adjustments required to up keep the top ranking of your website on the search engines.

If all these things are sounding too technical, then you must seek help from a SEO expert because a small error can turn your tables down and put your online business at stake.

Search Engine Marketing

Research – An Important Aspect of Search Engine Marketing

With a plethora of websites present it is almost mandatory to effectively use Search engine marketing for the desired visibility and subsequently online sales.

A successful search engine marketing campaign is possible only after a good research. Understanding the market situation, target audience and the competition in depth will help to formulate online marketing strategies. The right set of marketing strategies in turn will attract the target visitors to the site ultimately resulting in profits. Listed below are a few key areas of research that should not be ignored.

• Know Your Product/Services and The Industry Well

At the onset of any business it is extremely important to know your product and the industry well. You should first be aware of the manufacturing process of the product, the uses and the market it is sold in. The next step is to know your customers or who would purchase your product and why. Learn from your competitors, newsletters, reviews, forums, magazines, blogs and write ups from the experts. Keep yourself updated with the latest occurrences in the industry to maintain an edge.

• Designing and Communication On Our Website

Use the above information to design a website that is relevant to your target audience. The design should impress the target audience with the ease to navigate and the required information should be adequately presented. User friendly site is always preferred to a muddled up site that makes the visitor impatient and ultimately quit. Review your website initially with feed backs from visitors. Analyze and implement the feed back for the preferred result. You will be surprised with the simple changes that may go a long way. 

• Know Your Competitors 

Take a good look at web sites of your direct as well as indirect competitors to understand how they offer the products and the services. Analyze for yourself whether the services they are using should be included by you as well. It will also help to know whether your competition is using SEO services, PPC, paid inclusion, link building or other means to rank well.