Top 10 Tips for Using Web 2.0 to Promote Your Business
By Kevin Stirtz (c) 2007
We hear a lot about "Web 2.0" these days. It sounds neat and it's trendy to talk about blogging and social media. But does it really affect our businesses? Is Web 2.0 just for kids and tech-hipsters or is it something we business owners should use to help promote our businesses?
I can't tell you if Web 2.0 is right for your business, but I can tell you it's something to be aware of. Ignoring it means ignoring a possible tool that could be valuable in helping you get more customers.
So, to help you get started in thinking about Web 2.0 for your business, here are some things for you to consider.
1. Have a plan
Don't dive in just because it's cool or because you read an article about it. Be clear about what you're trying to accomplish, how much you're willing to invest and what time frame you are working on. Like any aspect of your business - plan ahead.
2. Make sure your target audience is online
Web 2.0 tools are fun but useless if the people who see your stuff don't want what you offer. Or if they don't look to the Web for information to help them buy what you sell, then your efforts will be less effective. Like any marketing channel, it only works if your prospective customers are there to see (or hear) your message and they are receptive to it.
3. Create good content
Web 2.0 is the social web, but it's still content-driven. Lousy content leads to lousy marketing, no matter how flashy it is. Make your content relevant, interesting and real. Put yourself in your customer's shoes and answer their questions with your content.
4. Don't sell
Help, inform, educate but do not sell. Web 2.0 is all about people connecting by helping each other. No salesmen allowed! Think education, not advertising. Deliver useful, nuts and bolts stuff or honest opinions they can believe. That's how you build credibility and trust that lead to new customer relationships.
5. Start with a free hosted blog
Wordpress and Blogger both have very useful and simple blogs you can setup for free. Use them to start blogging and get a feel for how it works and how people use Web 2.0. Dip your toe in the water before diving in.
6. Talk to kids
Chat with some kids (ages 8 to 18) and find out how they use the web. They are the trend-setters. What they're doing now, the rest of us will be doing soon. Learn what they do and why. This helps you understand the web from a different perspective.
7. Do it yourself
Web 2.0 is about being real. It's real people connecting with each other. It's okay to hire a pro to advise you. But to keep it genuine, make sure you or your employees create the content and do the work. Otherwise people will know you're faking it.
8. Buy a camcorder and start shooting
Go to Best Buy or Radio Shack and buy an inexpensive camcorder, tripod and lapel microphone. Buy 20-30 tapes too. Then take a weekend and shoot film. Practice, practice, practice. Get comfortable being on camera so you're not nervous or dorky. Then, write a funny or useful how-to sketch and film it. Use Microsoft MovieMaker to edit and then upload to YouTube.com.
9. Buy an inexpensive audio recorder
MusicBarn.com has a package that includes M-Audio's MobilePre USB recording interface. Add a microphone and you have a high quality setup to record podcasts and MP3 audio files whenever you want. Then buy NGWave sound editing software to make it sound professional and you're in business.
10. Surf 'till it Hurts
Surf blogs, YouTube, Google Videos, Del.icio.us, Digg, Reddit, StumbleUpon, Technorati and other social media websites. Get a feel for how they work and who goes there. Become part of some social media communities. Make new friends online. Immerse yourself in the Web 2.0 culture so you know how it works and if it might fit your marketing plans.
Showing posts with label tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tips. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Top 10 Tips for Using Web 2.0 to Promote Your Business
Top 10 Tips for Using Web 2.0 to Promote Your Business
By Kevin Stirtz (c) 2007
We hear a lot about "Web 2.0" these days. It sounds neat and it's trendy to talk about blogging and social media. But does it really affect our businesses? Is Web 2.0 just for kids and tech-hipsters or is it something we business owners should use to help promote our businesses?
I can't tell you if Web 2.0 is right for your business, but I can tell you it's something to be aware of. Ignoring it means ignoring a possible tool that could be valuable in helping you get more customers.
So, to help you get started in thinking about Web 2.0 for your business, here are some things for you to consider.
1. Have a plan
Don't dive in just because it's cool or because you read an article about it. Be clear about what you're trying to accomplish, how much you're willing to invest and what time frame you are working on. Like any aspect of your business - plan ahead.
2. Make sure your target audience is online
Web 2.0 tools are fun but useless if the people who see your stuff don't want what you offer. Or if they don't look to the Web for information to help them buy what you sell, then your efforts will be less effective. Like any marketing channel, it only works if your prospective customers are there to see (or hear) your message and they are receptive to it.
3. Create good content
Web 2.0 is the social web, but it's still content-driven. Lousy content leads to lousy marketing, no matter how flashy it is. Make your content relevant, interesting and real. Put yourself in your customer's shoes and answer their questions with your content.
4. Don't sell
Help, inform, educate but do not sell. Web 2.0 is all about people connecting by helping each other. No salesmen allowed! Think education, not advertising. Deliver useful, nuts and bolts stuff or honest opinions they can believe. That's how you build credibility and trust that lead to new customer relationships.
5. Start with a free hosted blog
Wordpress and Blogger both have very useful and simple blogs you can setup for free. Use them to start blogging and get a feel for how it works and how people use Web 2.0. Dip your toe in the water before diving in.
6. Talk to kids
Chat with some kids (ages 8 to 18) and find out how they use the web. They are the trend-setters. What they're doing now, the rest of us will be doing soon. Learn what they do and why. This helps you understand the web from a different perspective.
7. Do it yourself
Web 2.0 is about being real. It's real people connecting with each other. It's okay to hire a pro to advise you. But to keep it genuine, make sure you or your employees create the content and do the work. Otherwise people will know you're faking it.
8. Buy a camcorder and start shooting
Go to Best Buy or Radio Shack and buy an inexpensive camcorder, tripod and lapel microphone. Buy 20-30 tapes too. Then take a weekend and shoot film. Practice, practice, practice. Get comfortable being on camera so you're not nervous or dorky. Then, write a funny or useful how-to sketch and film it. Use Microsoft MovieMaker to edit and then upload to YouTube.com.
9. Buy an inexpensive audio recorder
MusicBarn.com has a package that includes M-Audio's MobilePre USB recording interface. Add a microphone and you have a high quality setup to record podcasts and MP3 audio files whenever you want. Then buy NGWave sound editing software to make it sound professional and you're in business.
10. Surf 'till it Hurts
Surf blogs, YouTube, Google Videos, Del.icio.us, Digg, Reddit, StumbleUpon, Technorati and other social media websites. Get a feel for how they work and who goes there. Become part of some social media communities. Make new friends online. Immerse yourself in the Web 2.0 culture so you know how it works and if it might fit your marketing plans.
By Kevin Stirtz (c) 2007
We hear a lot about "Web 2.0" these days. It sounds neat and it's trendy to talk about blogging and social media. But does it really affect our businesses? Is Web 2.0 just for kids and tech-hipsters or is it something we business owners should use to help promote our businesses?
I can't tell you if Web 2.0 is right for your business, but I can tell you it's something to be aware of. Ignoring it means ignoring a possible tool that could be valuable in helping you get more customers.
So, to help you get started in thinking about Web 2.0 for your business, here are some things for you to consider.
1. Have a plan
Don't dive in just because it's cool or because you read an article about it. Be clear about what you're trying to accomplish, how much you're willing to invest and what time frame you are working on. Like any aspect of your business - plan ahead.
2. Make sure your target audience is online
Web 2.0 tools are fun but useless if the people who see your stuff don't want what you offer. Or if they don't look to the Web for information to help them buy what you sell, then your efforts will be less effective. Like any marketing channel, it only works if your prospective customers are there to see (or hear) your message and they are receptive to it.
3. Create good content
Web 2.0 is the social web, but it's still content-driven. Lousy content leads to lousy marketing, no matter how flashy it is. Make your content relevant, interesting and real. Put yourself in your customer's shoes and answer their questions with your content.
4. Don't sell
Help, inform, educate but do not sell. Web 2.0 is all about people connecting by helping each other. No salesmen allowed! Think education, not advertising. Deliver useful, nuts and bolts stuff or honest opinions they can believe. That's how you build credibility and trust that lead to new customer relationships.
5. Start with a free hosted blog
Wordpress and Blogger both have very useful and simple blogs you can setup for free. Use them to start blogging and get a feel for how it works and how people use Web 2.0. Dip your toe in the water before diving in.
6. Talk to kids
Chat with some kids (ages 8 to 18) and find out how they use the web. They are the trend-setters. What they're doing now, the rest of us will be doing soon. Learn what they do and why. This helps you understand the web from a different perspective.
7. Do it yourself
Web 2.0 is about being real. It's real people connecting with each other. It's okay to hire a pro to advise you. But to keep it genuine, make sure you or your employees create the content and do the work. Otherwise people will know you're faking it.
8. Buy a camcorder and start shooting
Go to Best Buy or Radio Shack and buy an inexpensive camcorder, tripod and lapel microphone. Buy 20-30 tapes too. Then take a weekend and shoot film. Practice, practice, practice. Get comfortable being on camera so you're not nervous or dorky. Then, write a funny or useful how-to sketch and film it. Use Microsoft MovieMaker to edit and then upload to YouTube.com.
9. Buy an inexpensive audio recorder
MusicBarn.com has a package that includes M-Audio's MobilePre USB recording interface. Add a microphone and you have a high quality setup to record podcasts and MP3 audio files whenever you want. Then buy NGWave sound editing software to make it sound professional and you're in business.
10. Surf 'till it Hurts
Surf blogs, YouTube, Google Videos, Del.icio.us, Digg, Reddit, StumbleUpon, Technorati and other social media websites. Get a feel for how they work and who goes there. Become part of some social media communities. Make new friends online. Immerse yourself in the Web 2.0 culture so you know how it works and if it might fit your marketing plans.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
5 Tips to Effective SEO Keyword Research Analysis
5 Tips to Effective SEO Keyword Research Analysis
By Valerie Di Carlo (c) 2007
Keyword research and analysis can be a daunting task, when done correctly, and expert keyword research is the foundation to a successful SEO campaign. Many new website owners think the keyword research analysis process is easy. They think free tools, such as the Overture Search Term Suggestion Tool is the profit pill that will bring them instant results.
Unfortunately, the free tools will only give you a rough guide and a quick indication whether a hunch is worth further research. These free keyword research tools are limited to basic information. When performed correctly, expert keyword research exposes so much more - all the gems that are tucked away deep.
Real keyword research requires research AND analysis. There are so many aspects to the process that cannot be left to chance. Attempting to do the keyword research on your own is like going to a veterinarian to fix your car. My advise to all clients I do SEO consulting services for is to simply leave this task to the experts who have the correct keyword research tools and expertise.
Following are 5 tips for effective keyword research analysis:
1. Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) - Use multi-word phrases
Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) is a vital element in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for better keyword rankings in search results. LSI is based on the relationship, the "clustering" or positioning, the variations of terms and the iterations of your keyword phrases.
Expertly knowing LSI and how it can be most useful and beneficial for your SEO and the importance it has with the algorithm updates to search engines like Google, MSN and Yahoo which will benefit your keyword research for best practice SEO.
LSI is NOT new. Those doing keyword research over the years have always known to use synonyms and "long tail" keyword terms which is a simpler "explanation" to LSI. More often than not, these long tail, less generic terms bring more traffic to your site than the main keyword phrases. The real bottom line is that Latent Semantic Indexing is currently a MUST in keyword research and SEO.
2. Page Specific Keyword Research - Target your niche keyword phrases for each site page
Probably the most common mistake in keyword research is using a plethora of keywords and pasting the same meta keyword tag on every web site page. This is SO not effective! Your keyword research needs to be page specific and only focusing on 2 to 5 keywords per page. It's more work, but combined with best practice SEO, gives each site page a chance for higher ranking on its own.
3. Country Specific Keyword Research and Search Engine Reference
Keep in mind that keyword search terms can be country specific. Even though a country is English speaking, there are different keyword terms you must research - and then reference that country's search engine when doing your initial keyword research. For instance, UK and Australia may have different expressions, terminology and spellings (i.e. colour, personalised). Referencing the terms in the corresponding search engine is an important element to keyword research that is often forgotten. So for example, be sure to check the search terms on google.co.uk or au.yahoo.com. And, of course, if you have 3 to 4 really comprehensive research tools in your arsenal, you will be able to search for historical, global and country specific search terms easily and effectively.
4. Keyword Analysis - Cross referencing in the search engines
Once the majority of the keyword research has been done for a site page, it's time to plug those terms into the search engines to determine:
- If it is really the desired niche keyword for that page
- To assess the competitiveness of your keywords. Along with checking the competitiveness of your keywords you should look at the strength of the competition.
- Are the other sites listed for your keywords truly your competitors?
- Are the sites listed for your keyword even related to your industry, products or services?
These critical analyses of keyword phrases are often forgotten. Since the keyword research and analysis is the foundation of a successful SEO campaign, you certainly don't want to build your on-page optimization on the wrong niche keywords!
5. Ongoing Keyword Research - Repeat your keyword research on a consistent basis
While you may think that you have completed your keyword research analysis and laid a solid foundation for your SEO, you need to keep monitoring your keywords and tweak as necessary. Keywords can change from month to month as keyword search terms change, genres change and/or if your niche is within social portal networking sites - to name just a few. Maintaining ongoing keyword research is essential for best practice SEO.
Most Successful Strategy to Streamline Your Keyword Research Efforts:
Yes, many website owners will opt to do the keyword research and analysis themselves with only a marginal effect on an SEO campaign. It's not the most successful strategy to use for the most effective results.
To be certain of your keyword data, accurate keyword analysis should be performed - and cross referenced - across multiple expert keyword tools.
Effective keyword research lays the ground work for effective SEO results and can help you kick-start the ranking process - perhaps even giving you a step up on your competitors.
The most successful strategy to streamline your keyword research efforts is to hire an expert. Focus your business efforts on your strengths and expertise and allow the SEO experts to effectively perform the keyword research analysis correctly.
About The Author
Keyword Research Analysis expert Valerie DiCarlo helps companies large and small - worldwide - enjoy a long term improvement in website visibility, increased brand awareness, a continuous flow of new sales leads and higher revenues. To discover how you can improve rankings across multiple keyword phrases and search engines, go to: http://www.seo-web-consulting.com
By Valerie Di Carlo (c) 2007
Keyword research and analysis can be a daunting task, when done correctly, and expert keyword research is the foundation to a successful SEO campaign. Many new website owners think the keyword research analysis process is easy. They think free tools, such as the Overture Search Term Suggestion Tool is the profit pill that will bring them instant results.
Unfortunately, the free tools will only give you a rough guide and a quick indication whether a hunch is worth further research. These free keyword research tools are limited to basic information. When performed correctly, expert keyword research exposes so much more - all the gems that are tucked away deep.
Real keyword research requires research AND analysis. There are so many aspects to the process that cannot be left to chance. Attempting to do the keyword research on your own is like going to a veterinarian to fix your car. My advise to all clients I do SEO consulting services for is to simply leave this task to the experts who have the correct keyword research tools and expertise.
Following are 5 tips for effective keyword research analysis:
1. Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) - Use multi-word phrases
Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) is a vital element in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for better keyword rankings in search results. LSI is based on the relationship, the "clustering" or positioning, the variations of terms and the iterations of your keyword phrases.
Expertly knowing LSI and how it can be most useful and beneficial for your SEO and the importance it has with the algorithm updates to search engines like Google, MSN and Yahoo which will benefit your keyword research for best practice SEO.
LSI is NOT new. Those doing keyword research over the years have always known to use synonyms and "long tail" keyword terms which is a simpler "explanation" to LSI. More often than not, these long tail, less generic terms bring more traffic to your site than the main keyword phrases. The real bottom line is that Latent Semantic Indexing is currently a MUST in keyword research and SEO.
2. Page Specific Keyword Research - Target your niche keyword phrases for each site page
Probably the most common mistake in keyword research is using a plethora of keywords and pasting the same meta keyword tag on every web site page. This is SO not effective! Your keyword research needs to be page specific and only focusing on 2 to 5 keywords per page. It's more work, but combined with best practice SEO, gives each site page a chance for higher ranking on its own.
3. Country Specific Keyword Research and Search Engine Reference
Keep in mind that keyword search terms can be country specific. Even though a country is English speaking, there are different keyword terms you must research - and then reference that country's search engine when doing your initial keyword research. For instance, UK and Australia may have different expressions, terminology and spellings (i.e. colour, personalised). Referencing the terms in the corresponding search engine is an important element to keyword research that is often forgotten. So for example, be sure to check the search terms on google.co.uk or au.yahoo.com. And, of course, if you have 3 to 4 really comprehensive research tools in your arsenal, you will be able to search for historical, global and country specific search terms easily and effectively.
4. Keyword Analysis - Cross referencing in the search engines
Once the majority of the keyword research has been done for a site page, it's time to plug those terms into the search engines to determine:
- If it is really the desired niche keyword for that page
- To assess the competitiveness of your keywords. Along with checking the competitiveness of your keywords you should look at the strength of the competition.
- Are the other sites listed for your keywords truly your competitors?
- Are the sites listed for your keyword even related to your industry, products or services?
These critical analyses of keyword phrases are often forgotten. Since the keyword research and analysis is the foundation of a successful SEO campaign, you certainly don't want to build your on-page optimization on the wrong niche keywords!
5. Ongoing Keyword Research - Repeat your keyword research on a consistent basis
While you may think that you have completed your keyword research analysis and laid a solid foundation for your SEO, you need to keep monitoring your keywords and tweak as necessary. Keywords can change from month to month as keyword search terms change, genres change and/or if your niche is within social portal networking sites - to name just a few. Maintaining ongoing keyword research is essential for best practice SEO.
Most Successful Strategy to Streamline Your Keyword Research Efforts:
Yes, many website owners will opt to do the keyword research and analysis themselves with only a marginal effect on an SEO campaign. It's not the most successful strategy to use for the most effective results.
To be certain of your keyword data, accurate keyword analysis should be performed - and cross referenced - across multiple expert keyword tools.
Effective keyword research lays the ground work for effective SEO results and can help you kick-start the ranking process - perhaps even giving you a step up on your competitors.
The most successful strategy to streamline your keyword research efforts is to hire an expert. Focus your business efforts on your strengths and expertise and allow the SEO experts to effectively perform the keyword research analysis correctly.
About The Author
Keyword Research Analysis expert Valerie DiCarlo helps companies large and small - worldwide - enjoy a long term improvement in website visibility, increased brand awareness, a continuous flow of new sales leads and higher revenues. To discover how you can improve rankings across multiple keyword phrases and search engines, go to: http://www.seo-web-consulting.com
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
The Lucky Thirteen: The Critical SEO Checklist
The Lucky Thirteen: The Critical SEO Checklist
By Mike Tekula (c) 2007
When it comes to SEO not all of us have the time to be experts. At some point the real "gurus" of SEO and other topics are the people with a whole lot of time on their hands. This list, put together with the everyday webmaster in mind, drives home some absolutely crucial points that you should keep in mind when optimizing your pages for valuable search rankings.
1. Check Search Engine Crawl Error Pages
It's important to monitor search engine crawl error reports to keep on top of how your site and its pages are performing. Monitoring error reports can help you determine when and where Googlebot or another crawler is having trouble indexing your content - which can help you find a solution to the problem.
2. Create/update robots.txt and sitemap files
These files are supported by major search engines and are incredibly useful tools for ensuring that crawlers index your important site content while avoiding those sections/files that you deem to be either unimportant or cause problems in the crawl process. In many cases we've seen the proper use of these files make all the difference between a total crawl failure for a site and a full index of content pages which makes them crucial from an SEO standpoint.
3. Check Googlebot activity reports
These reports allow you to monitor how long it's taking Googlebot to access your pages. This information can be very important if you are worried that you may be on a slow network or experiencing web server problems. If it is taking search engine crawlers a long time to index your pages it may be the case that there are times when they "time out" and stop trying. Additionally, if the crawlers are unable to call your pages up quickly there is a good chance users are experiencing the same lag in load times, and we all know how impatient internet users can be.
4. Check how your site looks to browsers without image and JavaScript support
One of the best ways to determine just what your site looks like to a search engine crawler is to view your pages in a browser with image and JavaScript support disabled. Mozilla's Firefox browser has a plug-in available called the "Web Developer Toolbar" that adds this functionality and a lot more to the popular standards-compliant browser. If after turning off image and JavaScript support you aren't able to make sense of your pages at all, it is a good sign that your site is not well-optimized for search. While images and JavaScript can add a lot to the user experience they should always be viewed as a "luxury" - or simply an improvement upon an already-solid textual content base.
5. Ensure that all navigation is in HTML, not images
One of the most common mistakes in web design is to use images for site navigation. While for some companies and webmasters SEO is not a concern and therefore they can get away with this, for anyone worried about having well-optimized pages this should be the first thing to go. Not only will it render your site navigation basically valueless for search engine crawlers, but within reason very similar effects can usually be achieved with CSS roll-overs that maintain the aesthetic impact while still providing valuable and relevant link text to search engines.
6. Check that all images include ALT text
Failing to include descriptive ALT text with images is to miss out on another place to optimize your pages. Not only is this important for accessibility for vision-impaired users, but search engines simply can't "take a look" at your images and decipher the content there. They can only see your ALT text, if you've provided it, and the association they'll make with the image and your relevant content will be based exclusively on this attribute.
7. Use Flash content sparingly
Several years ago Flash hit the scene and spread like wild fire. It was neat looking, quick to download and brought interactivity and animation on the web to a new height. However, from an SEO standpoint, Flash files might as well be spacer GIFs - they're empty. Search engines are not able to index text/content within a Flash file. For this reason, while Flash can do a lot for presentation, from an accessibility and SEO standpoint it should be used very sparingly and only on non-crucial content.
8. Ensure that each page has a unique < title> and meta description tag
Optimization of < title> tags is one of the most important on-page SEO points. Many webmasters are apparently unaware and use either duplicate < title> tags for multiple pages or do not target search traffic at all within this valuable tag. Run a search on a competitive keyword of your choice on Google - click on the first few links that show up and see what text appears in the title bar for the window. You should see right away that this is a key place to include target keywords for your pages.
9. Make sure that important page elements are HTML
The simple fact to keep in mind when optimizing a page is that the crawlers are basically only looking at your source code. Anything you've put together in a Flash movie, an image or any other multimedia component is likely to be invisible to search engines. With that in mind it should be clear that the most important elements of your page, where the heart of your content will lie, should be presented in clean, standards-compliant and optimized HTML source code.
10. Be sure to target keywords in your page content
Some webmasters publish their pages in hopes that they will rank well for competitive keywords within their topic or niche. However, this will simply never happen unless you include your target keywords in the page content. This means creating well-optimized content that mentions these keywords frequently without triggering sp@m filters. Any way you cut it you're going to need to do some writing - if you don't like doing it yourself it's a good idea to hire a professional copy writer. Simply put: without relevant content that mentions your target keywords you will not rank well.
11. Don't use frames
There is still some debate as to whether frames are absolutely horrible for SEO or whether they are simply just not the best choice. Is there really a difference? Either way, you probably don't want to use frames. Crawlers can have trouble getting through to your content and effectively indexing individual pages, for one thing. For another, most functionality that the use of frames allows is easily duplicated using proper CSS coding. There is still some use for a frames-based layout, but it is still better to avoid it if at all possible.
12. Make sure that your server is returning a 404 error code for unfound pages
We've all seen it. We're browsing around at a new or familiar site, clicking links and reading content, when we get the infamous blank screen that reads "404 page not found" error. While broken links that point to these pages should definitely be avoided you also don't want to create a "custom error page" to replace this page. Why? Well, it's simple: if you generate a custom error page, crawlers can spend time following broken links that they won't know are broken. A 404 error page is easily recognizable, and search engine crawlers are programmed to stop following links that generate this page. If crawlers end up in a section of your site that is down through an old link that you missed, they might not spend the time to index the rest of your site.
13. Ensure that crawlers will not fall into infinite loops
Many webmasters see fit to include scripting languages, such as Perl, Php and Asp to add interactive functionality to their web pages. Whether for a calendar system, a forum, eCommerce functionality for an online store, etc. scripting is used quite frequently on the internet. However, what some webmasters don't realize is that unless they use robots.txt files or take other preventative measures search engine crawlers can fall into what are called "infinite loops" in their pages. Imagine, if you will, a script that allows a webmaster to add a calendar to one of his pages. Now, any programmer worth his salt would base this script on calculations - it would auto-generate each page based on the previous month and a formula to determine how the days and dates would fall. That script, depending on sophistication, could plausibly extend infinitely into the past or future. Now think of the way a crawler works - it follows links, indexes what it finds, and follows more links. What's to stop a crawler from clicking "next month" in a calendar script an infinite number of times? Nothing - well, almost nothing. Crawlers are well-built programs that need to run efficiently. As such they are built to recognize when they've run into an "infinite loop" situation like this, and they will simply stop indexing pages at a site that is flagged for this error.
By Mike Tekula (c) 2007
When it comes to SEO not all of us have the time to be experts. At some point the real "gurus" of SEO and other topics are the people with a whole lot of time on their hands. This list, put together with the everyday webmaster in mind, drives home some absolutely crucial points that you should keep in mind when optimizing your pages for valuable search rankings.
1. Check Search Engine Crawl Error Pages
It's important to monitor search engine crawl error reports to keep on top of how your site and its pages are performing. Monitoring error reports can help you determine when and where Googlebot or another crawler is having trouble indexing your content - which can help you find a solution to the problem.
2. Create/update robots.txt and sitemap files
These files are supported by major search engines and are incredibly useful tools for ensuring that crawlers index your important site content while avoiding those sections/files that you deem to be either unimportant or cause problems in the crawl process. In many cases we've seen the proper use of these files make all the difference between a total crawl failure for a site and a full index of content pages which makes them crucial from an SEO standpoint.
3. Check Googlebot activity reports
These reports allow you to monitor how long it's taking Googlebot to access your pages. This information can be very important if you are worried that you may be on a slow network or experiencing web server problems. If it is taking search engine crawlers a long time to index your pages it may be the case that there are times when they "time out" and stop trying. Additionally, if the crawlers are unable to call your pages up quickly there is a good chance users are experiencing the same lag in load times, and we all know how impatient internet users can be.
4. Check how your site looks to browsers without image and JavaScript support
One of the best ways to determine just what your site looks like to a search engine crawler is to view your pages in a browser with image and JavaScript support disabled. Mozilla's Firefox browser has a plug-in available called the "Web Developer Toolbar" that adds this functionality and a lot more to the popular standards-compliant browser. If after turning off image and JavaScript support you aren't able to make sense of your pages at all, it is a good sign that your site is not well-optimized for search. While images and JavaScript can add a lot to the user experience they should always be viewed as a "luxury" - or simply an improvement upon an already-solid textual content base.
5. Ensure that all navigation is in HTML, not images
One of the most common mistakes in web design is to use images for site navigation. While for some companies and webmasters SEO is not a concern and therefore they can get away with this, for anyone worried about having well-optimized pages this should be the first thing to go. Not only will it render your site navigation basically valueless for search engine crawlers, but within reason very similar effects can usually be achieved with CSS roll-overs that maintain the aesthetic impact while still providing valuable and relevant link text to search engines.
6. Check that all images include ALT text
Failing to include descriptive ALT text with images is to miss out on another place to optimize your pages. Not only is this important for accessibility for vision-impaired users, but search engines simply can't "take a look" at your images and decipher the content there. They can only see your ALT text, if you've provided it, and the association they'll make with the image and your relevant content will be based exclusively on this attribute.
7. Use Flash content sparingly
Several years ago Flash hit the scene and spread like wild fire. It was neat looking, quick to download and brought interactivity and animation on the web to a new height. However, from an SEO standpoint, Flash files might as well be spacer GIFs - they're empty. Search engines are not able to index text/content within a Flash file. For this reason, while Flash can do a lot for presentation, from an accessibility and SEO standpoint it should be used very sparingly and only on non-crucial content.
8. Ensure that each page has a unique < title> and meta description tag
Optimization of < title> tags is one of the most important on-page SEO points. Many webmasters are apparently unaware and use either duplicate < title> tags for multiple pages or do not target search traffic at all within this valuable tag. Run a search on a competitive keyword of your choice on Google - click on the first few links that show up and see what text appears in the title bar for the window. You should see right away that this is a key place to include target keywords for your pages.
9. Make sure that important page elements are HTML
The simple fact to keep in mind when optimizing a page is that the crawlers are basically only looking at your source code. Anything you've put together in a Flash movie, an image or any other multimedia component is likely to be invisible to search engines. With that in mind it should be clear that the most important elements of your page, where the heart of your content will lie, should be presented in clean, standards-compliant and optimized HTML source code.
10. Be sure to target keywords in your page content
Some webmasters publish their pages in hopes that they will rank well for competitive keywords within their topic or niche. However, this will simply never happen unless you include your target keywords in the page content. This means creating well-optimized content that mentions these keywords frequently without triggering sp@m filters. Any way you cut it you're going to need to do some writing - if you don't like doing it yourself it's a good idea to hire a professional copy writer. Simply put: without relevant content that mentions your target keywords you will not rank well.
11. Don't use frames
There is still some debate as to whether frames are absolutely horrible for SEO or whether they are simply just not the best choice. Is there really a difference? Either way, you probably don't want to use frames. Crawlers can have trouble getting through to your content and effectively indexing individual pages, for one thing. For another, most functionality that the use of frames allows is easily duplicated using proper CSS coding. There is still some use for a frames-based layout, but it is still better to avoid it if at all possible.
12. Make sure that your server is returning a 404 error code for unfound pages
We've all seen it. We're browsing around at a new or familiar site, clicking links and reading content, when we get the infamous blank screen that reads "404 page not found" error. While broken links that point to these pages should definitely be avoided you also don't want to create a "custom error page" to replace this page. Why? Well, it's simple: if you generate a custom error page, crawlers can spend time following broken links that they won't know are broken. A 404 error page is easily recognizable, and search engine crawlers are programmed to stop following links that generate this page. If crawlers end up in a section of your site that is down through an old link that you missed, they might not spend the time to index the rest of your site.
13. Ensure that crawlers will not fall into infinite loops
Many webmasters see fit to include scripting languages, such as Perl, Php and Asp to add interactive functionality to their web pages. Whether for a calendar system, a forum, eCommerce functionality for an online store, etc. scripting is used quite frequently on the internet. However, what some webmasters don't realize is that unless they use robots.txt files or take other preventative measures search engine crawlers can fall into what are called "infinite loops" in their pages. Imagine, if you will, a script that allows a webmaster to add a calendar to one of his pages. Now, any programmer worth his salt would base this script on calculations - it would auto-generate each page based on the previous month and a formula to determine how the days and dates would fall. That script, depending on sophistication, could plausibly extend infinitely into the past or future. Now think of the way a crawler works - it follows links, indexes what it finds, and follows more links. What's to stop a crawler from clicking "next month" in a calendar script an infinite number of times? Nothing - well, almost nothing. Crawlers are well-built programs that need to run efficiently. As such they are built to recognize when they've run into an "infinite loop" situation like this, and they will simply stop indexing pages at a site that is flagged for this error.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Making Your Site Search Engine Friendly - Spiderability
Making Your Site Search Engine Friendly - Spiderability
By John Buchanan (c) 2007
One of the keys to obtaining top rankings, or ANY rankings for that matter is making sure that the search engines can properly spider and index your site. This means doing whatever you can to make sure the search engines are able to reach each page of your site as easily as possible.
When I talk to my clients about spiderability, I'm generally referring to two things...
1) Are all the links in the site true hyperlinks that can be picked up properly by the search engines.
2) Are all the pages within the site reachable within 2-3 clicks from the homepage.
So let's go over the above two areas of concern.
1) Hyperlinks. This may seem almost silly, but you would be amazëd at the number of sites I run into when doing consultations and website analyses that have non-standard hyperlinks. By "non-standard", I'm referring to javascrípt generated hyperlinks or hyperlinks embedded within flash files.
There is nothing inherently wrong with javascrípt or flash when used properly, but the simple fact is that javascrípt and flash are NOT search engine friendly. Google is pretty much the only engine that is able to pick up links within javascrípt or flash code. At this time, I have seen no evidence that either Yahoo or MSN have this ability.
While Google may be able to pick up links, it is unclear as to whether or not Google places any VALUE on the links it finds in this manner. Remember, much of a page's ranking in Google is determined by links, so you want to be absolutely sure that each and every link is valued.
So, be absolutely sure that your links are true hyperlinks (by "true" hyperlinks, I'm talking about hyperlinks coded with the normal href tags) if you want to make sure they are found, followed, and counted by all the engines.
2) Distance from Homepage. Ideally, you want your visitors and the search engines to be able to reach any page within your site within a maximum of three (3) clicks and preferably two clicks. The more clicks it takes to reach a page, the less chance there is that the search engines will index that page.
It is for this reason, that site maps have become so popular. By utilizing a sitemap, you are able to link from your homepage to a page that lists all or most of the links to the various pages of your site. The search engines (and visitors) are then able to get to virtually any page of your site within just a couple of clicks.
You'll notice I've mentioned not only the search engines but the visitors as well in the above paragraphs. By reducing the number of clicks it takes to get from your homepage to any page on your site, you will find that you also íncrease the overall usability of your site.
While site maps can definitely help to íncrease the spiderability of a site, it is important to remember that they are not a total fix for bad navigational structure within a site. As mentioned, all of the search engines utilize page link popularity in one way or another in their algorithms.
In general, the homepage of a site will have the highest link popularity of any page within the site. This is because most inbound links to a site are pointing to the homepage. It's from the homepage that all the internal pages derive their link popularity from a sort of "trickle down" affect.
A site map will only derive a certain amount of link popularity that it can pass on to the pages it links to. To understand this best, think of the homepage as a large river with each link on the homepage a smaller river branching off from the main river. Each river will be fed a similar amount of water by the main river. Alone one branch of the river will nevër be able to deliver as much water to the various areas as all the branches of the river can combined.
The site map is one branch of your sites link popularity river and it has value, but it will nevër have the same impact as a well thought out and implemented links structure that makes use of all the rivers of link popularity within your site.
To make the most use of the link popularity of your site, you should try and setup your sites navigational structure so that even without a site map, the search engines and visitors are STILL able to reach any page on your site within 2-3 clicks.
So...to make a long story short...Always be sure to utilize true, standard hyperlinks throughout your site and be sure that your sites navigational structure allows any page of your site to be reached within no more than 3 clicks. See you at the top!
By John Buchanan (c) 2007
One of the keys to obtaining top rankings, or ANY rankings for that matter is making sure that the search engines can properly spider and index your site. This means doing whatever you can to make sure the search engines are able to reach each page of your site as easily as possible.
When I talk to my clients about spiderability, I'm generally referring to two things...
1) Are all the links in the site true hyperlinks that can be picked up properly by the search engines.
2) Are all the pages within the site reachable within 2-3 clicks from the homepage.
So let's go over the above two areas of concern.
1) Hyperlinks. This may seem almost silly, but you would be amazëd at the number of sites I run into when doing consultations and website analyses that have non-standard hyperlinks. By "non-standard", I'm referring to javascrípt generated hyperlinks or hyperlinks embedded within flash files.
There is nothing inherently wrong with javascrípt or flash when used properly, but the simple fact is that javascrípt and flash are NOT search engine friendly. Google is pretty much the only engine that is able to pick up links within javascrípt or flash code. At this time, I have seen no evidence that either Yahoo or MSN have this ability.
While Google may be able to pick up links, it is unclear as to whether or not Google places any VALUE on the links it finds in this manner. Remember, much of a page's ranking in Google is determined by links, so you want to be absolutely sure that each and every link is valued.
So, be absolutely sure that your links are true hyperlinks (by "true" hyperlinks, I'm talking about hyperlinks coded with the normal href tags) if you want to make sure they are found, followed, and counted by all the engines.
2) Distance from Homepage. Ideally, you want your visitors and the search engines to be able to reach any page within your site within a maximum of three (3) clicks and preferably two clicks. The more clicks it takes to reach a page, the less chance there is that the search engines will index that page.
It is for this reason, that site maps have become so popular. By utilizing a sitemap, you are able to link from your homepage to a page that lists all or most of the links to the various pages of your site. The search engines (and visitors) are then able to get to virtually any page of your site within just a couple of clicks.
You'll notice I've mentioned not only the search engines but the visitors as well in the above paragraphs. By reducing the number of clicks it takes to get from your homepage to any page on your site, you will find that you also íncrease the overall usability of your site.
While site maps can definitely help to íncrease the spiderability of a site, it is important to remember that they are not a total fix for bad navigational structure within a site. As mentioned, all of the search engines utilize page link popularity in one way or another in their algorithms.
In general, the homepage of a site will have the highest link popularity of any page within the site. This is because most inbound links to a site are pointing to the homepage. It's from the homepage that all the internal pages derive their link popularity from a sort of "trickle down" affect.
A site map will only derive a certain amount of link popularity that it can pass on to the pages it links to. To understand this best, think of the homepage as a large river with each link on the homepage a smaller river branching off from the main river. Each river will be fed a similar amount of water by the main river. Alone one branch of the river will nevër be able to deliver as much water to the various areas as all the branches of the river can combined.
The site map is one branch of your sites link popularity river and it has value, but it will nevër have the same impact as a well thought out and implemented links structure that makes use of all the rivers of link popularity within your site.
To make the most use of the link popularity of your site, you should try and setup your sites navigational structure so that even without a site map, the search engines and visitors are STILL able to reach any page on your site within 2-3 clicks.
So...to make a long story short...Always be sure to utilize true, standard hyperlinks throughout your site and be sure that your sites navigational structure allows any page of your site to be reached within no more than 3 clicks. See you at the top!
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
14 Rules to Abide By For Search Engine Traffic
14 Rules to Abide By For Search Engine Traffic
by Dr. Deepak Dutta
If you are setting up a website, follow these simple rules to improve search engine rankings of your site. You can also follow these techniques if your website is not ranked high in search engines for certain keywords. Concentrate on the home page of your site and once you learn the techniques, you will be able to apply them to the other pages of your site that will have multiple high ranking pages.
1. Find keywords (or key phrases) relevant to your website. Go to the overture keyword selector tool (type key phrase overture inventory in Google) and check the popularity of the keywords you want to use. Avoid highly popular keywords. Highly popular keywords are very competitive and the least popular keywords are search engine traffic starved.
Select a dozen keywords and key phrases from the middle of the list. This is a very important exercise and you should spend at least a couple of hours, if not more, researching different keywords. While you are researching your keywords, check your competitors by doing a search in a couple of popular search engines like Google, Yahoo, etc., using those keywords. Keep a record of your competitors' urls and other information because you don't want to waste your time doing the same search again in the near future.
2. Use the keywords you selected into the meta tags of your home page. Meta tags are located in the head section of a web page. Go to one of your competitor's website and select View and then Source from your web browser's menu to view the html source of the web page. You will see the meta elements.
The two important meta tags are keywords and description meta tags. Don't leave them blank. You can list your keywords, separated by comma, in the keywords meta tag. Construct a catchy description using your keywords for the description meta tag.
3. Use the keywords in your title tag. The text you use in the title tag appears in the title bar of the web browser. The title tag should be less than 64 characters long. Again, the key is to use a meaningful title using the keywords. Don't just make a laundry list of your keywords for the title tag.
The title tag and your meta description may end up in many search engine listings. So, spend sometime to make these two elements interesting, meaningful, and relevant to your site.
4. Use the keywords in top heading (h1) tags of your page. Use one keyword (or a key phrase) for each h1 tag. Use these h1 tags for the headings of your contents.
5. In the home page content, use bold, using the strong html element, to highlight some of your keywords.
6. Italicize some of the keywords in your page.
7. Use the keywords in alt tags of images. You should always use the alt tag for all images.
8. Encourage others to use the keywords for text anchors when they link back to your site. Better yet, publish your own short link text with keyword anchors, bold and italicized key phrases and give it away for link exchanges.
9. If possible, use the keywords in your domain name. Try different arrangements of the keywords to come up with an available domain name that you can register.
10. If you are using php or asp or any other web programming language for your dynamic website, make your url search engine friendly using url rewrite techniques. Search the phrase url rewrite in Google to know more about url rewrite.
11. Don't use frames in your web pages. Many search engines will not crawl framed pages. For a search engine spider to crawl a page, you need a clickable url. When you use a frame, the target url is not clickable.
12. Avoid fancy Javascript menus. If you use a Javascript menu, provide a html text menu with clickable links at the bottom of your web page. Use include files for Javascripts.
13. Provide 301 redirections if you move your pages or domain after they have been indexed by the search engines. Don't use meta refresh or other Javascript tricks. Search for the phrase 'search engine friendly 301 redirect' in a search engine to get more information on this topic.
14. If you use flash in a page, provide a html version of the page and hide the flash page from the search engine crawler using a robots.txt page.
Keep in mind these simple rules every time you want to launch a website. Spending a few days upfront in the preparation of your site will pay off in the long run with better search engine rankings.
by Dr. Deepak Dutta
If you are setting up a website, follow these simple rules to improve search engine rankings of your site. You can also follow these techniques if your website is not ranked high in search engines for certain keywords. Concentrate on the home page of your site and once you learn the techniques, you will be able to apply them to the other pages of your site that will have multiple high ranking pages.
1. Find keywords (or key phrases) relevant to your website. Go to the overture keyword selector tool (type key phrase overture inventory in Google) and check the popularity of the keywords you want to use. Avoid highly popular keywords. Highly popular keywords are very competitive and the least popular keywords are search engine traffic starved.
Select a dozen keywords and key phrases from the middle of the list. This is a very important exercise and you should spend at least a couple of hours, if not more, researching different keywords. While you are researching your keywords, check your competitors by doing a search in a couple of popular search engines like Google, Yahoo, etc., using those keywords. Keep a record of your competitors' urls and other information because you don't want to waste your time doing the same search again in the near future.
2. Use the keywords you selected into the meta tags of your home page. Meta tags are located in the head section of a web page. Go to one of your competitor's website and select View and then Source from your web browser's menu to view the html source of the web page. You will see the meta elements.
The two important meta tags are keywords and description meta tags. Don't leave them blank. You can list your keywords, separated by comma, in the keywords meta tag. Construct a catchy description using your keywords for the description meta tag.
3. Use the keywords in your title tag. The text you use in the title tag appears in the title bar of the web browser. The title tag should be less than 64 characters long. Again, the key is to use a meaningful title using the keywords. Don't just make a laundry list of your keywords for the title tag.
The title tag and your meta description may end up in many search engine listings. So, spend sometime to make these two elements interesting, meaningful, and relevant to your site.
4. Use the keywords in top heading (h1) tags of your page. Use one keyword (or a key phrase) for each h1 tag. Use these h1 tags for the headings of your contents.
5. In the home page content, use bold, using the strong html element, to highlight some of your keywords.
6. Italicize some of the keywords in your page.
7. Use the keywords in alt tags of images. You should always use the alt tag for all images.
8. Encourage others to use the keywords for text anchors when they link back to your site. Better yet, publish your own short link text with keyword anchors, bold and italicized key phrases and give it away for link exchanges.
9. If possible, use the keywords in your domain name. Try different arrangements of the keywords to come up with an available domain name that you can register.
10. If you are using php or asp or any other web programming language for your dynamic website, make your url search engine friendly using url rewrite techniques. Search the phrase url rewrite in Google to know more about url rewrite.
11. Don't use frames in your web pages. Many search engines will not crawl framed pages. For a search engine spider to crawl a page, you need a clickable url. When you use a frame, the target url is not clickable.
12. Avoid fancy Javascript menus. If you use a Javascript menu, provide a html text menu with clickable links at the bottom of your web page. Use include files for Javascripts.
13. Provide 301 redirections if you move your pages or domain after they have been indexed by the search engines. Don't use meta refresh or other Javascript tricks. Search for the phrase 'search engine friendly 301 redirect' in a search engine to get more information on this topic.
14. If you use flash in a page, provide a html version of the page and hide the flash page from the search engine crawler using a robots.txt page.
Keep in mind these simple rules every time you want to launch a website. Spending a few days upfront in the preparation of your site will pay off in the long run with better search engine rankings.
Friday, May 4, 2007
Powerful Press Release Distribution Tips
Powerful Press Release Distribution Tips
By Diana Barnum
While press release writing is important, press release distribution plays an equally important role in your return on ínvestment (ROI) with this marketing / public relations tool. Because without targeted distribution, many prospects, clients and other interested parties may not even read your latest announcement or hear about it via other channels; TV, radio, print publications, etc.
In order to bring your news to light with more of your targeted audience, try some of these tips for a more successful distribution:
Media Líst Management
Start a folder on your computer and in hard copy form for media lists in order to keep a líst of contacts readily available and updated. Identify media outlets - both online and off - in your targeted industries; for example: Business and Marketing. Add local, regional, national and International channels to cover television, radio, newspapers, magazines, online publications, newswire and other services.
A targeted media líst is an invaluable tool for most businesses. The best way to build your líst is to carefully watch, read and listen, then track media publications and shows, and to identify reporters and producers who would be interested in your story. Contact the media outlets as needed for their most recent contact name, email address, telephone and fax number, before sending your information.
Tip: Using contact management software program such as ACT! or Maximizer for this purpose can help you build and maintain relationships with the media. Even using Excel to create your own spreadsheets helps with organization.
There are several sources online that will help you build your media líst; however, keep in mind that not all of these sources will have up-to-date media information.
Newswires
Newswires distribute your press release directly to editors, other media outlets like Reuters and they also publish the press releases on their website. Many journalists rely on newswire sites for information and story ideas. Wires are often used by larger companies and non-profít organizations. They have the advantage of immediately reaching a broad range of media outlets across the country. The cost is usually $275 - $600 to send a single release, with pricing based on the number of words in your release (a minimum word count will usually apply.)
Mail, Fax, or Email
You can send the news release directly to the media yourself, using the mail, fax, or email. When in doubt about the best option, ask the journalists you will be sending your release to. This can have the advantage of creating a more personal connection with the people you send the release to. It can also be a more cost-effective option if you are targeting a small líst of journalists.
Database Building
Newswires offer a fast way to send your press release to a large number of editors. However, you can also build your own líst of media contacts using any of a number of media databases. Most charge either a monthly, annual or per use subscription fee. Search online for "media databases" and "media lists."
Timing
It is best to send your news release early in the day and you will have a better chance of getting your story noticed if your release is not sent on a busy news day. For example, sending a news release out as a major strike or natural disaster was taking place would not be good timing. Mondays and Tuesdays are usually busy news days and by Friday most assignments have been handed out as journalists get ready for the weekend.
Helpful Tips:
1. Don't send email press releases with attachments - they will be deleted immediately upon receipt.
2. If sending an email release, make sure to write the release within the body of the message.
3. Don't bug editors. Editors receive hundreds of press releases on a daily basis. Chances are you will irritate most editors by making a second contact to ask if they received your press release. 4. Know deadlines of editors. If you are sending a time-sensitive release, don't expect a magazine editor to cover your event scheduled for next week. Find out what the appropriate "lead time" is to send your press release for possible distribution in their media.
5. If writing about a web site, make sure the site is updated before you send your release. Editors will visit the site if they have an interest in your product/service.
6. For further assistance and other helpful information visit PRWeb.com .
Resources
Here are some handy resources to help with your press releases:
- Check out Jack Humphrey's Content Desk and Content Propulsion Lab, for "Do It Yourself" companies who would love the benefits of easy step-by-step content site building, monetizing and promoting systems for the best ROI, and high-end Public Relations firms with low-end budgets, online at ContentLabInfo.com and ContentDeskInfo.com .
- For a super profít system, head to SEO (search engine optimization) expert Keith Baxter's Easy Net Marketing (EAN) Profít System at BPlanSite.com . The program has only about a one- to two-hour learning curve to get all set up and going. Articles, content and more -all-in-one.
- Learn how to write with good correspondence courses like those offered by the American Writers & Artists Institute; many are described here: PressSuccess.com .
So when you focus on getting your press releases out, focus on distribution, too. Try some of the tips above to íncrease success with your promotions, and keep a copy of the these tips around for handy reference!
By Diana Barnum
While press release writing is important, press release distribution plays an equally important role in your return on ínvestment (ROI) with this marketing / public relations tool. Because without targeted distribution, many prospects, clients and other interested parties may not even read your latest announcement or hear about it via other channels; TV, radio, print publications, etc.
In order to bring your news to light with more of your targeted audience, try some of these tips for a more successful distribution:
Media Líst Management
Start a folder on your computer and in hard copy form for media lists in order to keep a líst of contacts readily available and updated. Identify media outlets - both online and off - in your targeted industries; for example: Business and Marketing. Add local, regional, national and International channels to cover television, radio, newspapers, magazines, online publications, newswire and other services.
A targeted media líst is an invaluable tool for most businesses. The best way to build your líst is to carefully watch, read and listen, then track media publications and shows, and to identify reporters and producers who would be interested in your story. Contact the media outlets as needed for their most recent contact name, email address, telephone and fax number, before sending your information.
Tip: Using contact management software program such as ACT! or Maximizer for this purpose can help you build and maintain relationships with the media. Even using Excel to create your own spreadsheets helps with organization.
There are several sources online that will help you build your media líst; however, keep in mind that not all of these sources will have up-to-date media information.
Newswires
Newswires distribute your press release directly to editors, other media outlets like Reuters and they also publish the press releases on their website. Many journalists rely on newswire sites for information and story ideas. Wires are often used by larger companies and non-profít organizations. They have the advantage of immediately reaching a broad range of media outlets across the country. The cost is usually $275 - $600 to send a single release, with pricing based on the number of words in your release (a minimum word count will usually apply.)
Mail, Fax, or Email
You can send the news release directly to the media yourself, using the mail, fax, or email. When in doubt about the best option, ask the journalists you will be sending your release to. This can have the advantage of creating a more personal connection with the people you send the release to. It can also be a more cost-effective option if you are targeting a small líst of journalists.
Database Building
Newswires offer a fast way to send your press release to a large number of editors. However, you can also build your own líst of media contacts using any of a number of media databases. Most charge either a monthly, annual or per use subscription fee. Search online for "media databases" and "media lists."
Timing
It is best to send your news release early in the day and you will have a better chance of getting your story noticed if your release is not sent on a busy news day. For example, sending a news release out as a major strike or natural disaster was taking place would not be good timing. Mondays and Tuesdays are usually busy news days and by Friday most assignments have been handed out as journalists get ready for the weekend.
Helpful Tips:
1. Don't send email press releases with attachments - they will be deleted immediately upon receipt.
2. If sending an email release, make sure to write the release within the body of the message.
3. Don't bug editors. Editors receive hundreds of press releases on a daily basis. Chances are you will irritate most editors by making a second contact to ask if they received your press release. 4. Know deadlines of editors. If you are sending a time-sensitive release, don't expect a magazine editor to cover your event scheduled for next week. Find out what the appropriate "lead time" is to send your press release for possible distribution in their media.
5. If writing about a web site, make sure the site is updated before you send your release. Editors will visit the site if they have an interest in your product/service.
6. For further assistance and other helpful information visit PRWeb.com .
Resources
Here are some handy resources to help with your press releases:
- Check out Jack Humphrey's Content Desk and Content Propulsion Lab, for "Do It Yourself" companies who would love the benefits of easy step-by-step content site building, monetizing and promoting systems for the best ROI, and high-end Public Relations firms with low-end budgets, online at ContentLabInfo.com and ContentDeskInfo.com .
- For a super profít system, head to SEO (search engine optimization) expert Keith Baxter's Easy Net Marketing (EAN) Profít System at BPlanSite.com . The program has only about a one- to two-hour learning curve to get all set up and going. Articles, content and more -all-in-one.
- Learn how to write with good correspondence courses like those offered by the American Writers & Artists Institute; many are described here: PressSuccess.com .
So when you focus on getting your press releases out, focus on distribution, too. Try some of the tips above to íncrease success with your promotions, and keep a copy of the these tips around for handy reference!
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Search Engine Optimization Strategy - An Overview
Search Engine Optimization Strategy - An Overview
Web masters often feel like pulling their hair out and throwing a major childish tantrum when their search engine optimization strategy efforts don’t pay off. It is indeed maddening to find that SEO efforts that have cost so much time and energy have not borne anything fruitful. Has the search engine optimization work been done correctly, though? That’s the important question!
There are SEO practices that are actually based on search engine optimization strategy misconceptions. Before embarking on another optimization attempt, web masters would find it worthwhile to read about the common SEO fallacies that one should correct so that SEO will not be wasted.
Meta-tags and hidden text
Web masters include the keywords in their meta-tags and this is standard practice. However, some web masters stop there. This is very bad practice!
If a web master wishes to increase his or her pages’ relevance to a search engine queries, then the keywords should also be found on the pages themselves, not only in the meta-tags or codes. It is true that search engines see these keywords within the hidden coding of your website. But an important fact to bear in mind is that words within your page content, visible to readers are now more important than meta-tags.
To compromise, some web administrators incorporate invisible keywords. These are called such because the human eye cannot decipher them. The texts’ color is similar to the background so they blend in with the background when the page is viewed. On the other hand, search engines still see this text so they count towards keyword relevance.
However, what some web masters don’t realize is that these keyword phrases would have been a lot more valuable as keyword phrase anchor texts had they been visible. These anchor texts could have also linked to other pages in the site so that the relevance of the whole site is promoted. It is also pertinent to mention that hidden texts are borderline search engine optimization strategy for it is in fact fooling search engines to believe that the site is relevant to the query. In other words they could get your site banned from search engines!!!
Web page design
Some web masters focus so much on the elements of the web site to the exclusion of other offsite search engine optimization strategy aspects. It is true that a web site should have worthy content that has search engine optimized keywords in place. Keywords distributed in the content of the page increases its relevance to a search engine query in that keyword category. Pages that are aptly and keyword titled are also a very good way to improve the site’s ranking.
Nevertheless, web masters should never believe that having very relevant and keyword-rich pages is the only way to increase page ranking. Search engines actually give much weight to link popularity in their search algorithms. A web administrator must therefore maintain appropriate keyword density but must also work towards improving link popularity through inbound links from other renowned web sites that have related content.
Short-term SEO
Some web masters think that once search engine optimization strategy measures are initiated, they should see the jump in page ranking immediately. This is the most common misconception about search engine optimization and this leads to unnecessary aggravation on the web masters’ part.
Search engine optimization measures do not give instant returns; they take time, sometimes months, to work properly and give a web site’s rank a boost. Web traffic would eventually increase after search engine optimization strategy is set into motion. Meanwhile, web masters can save themselves so much frustration if they just wait for progress and find other means to increase traffic to their sites.
Web masters often feel like pulling their hair out and throwing a major childish tantrum when their search engine optimization strategy efforts don’t pay off. It is indeed maddening to find that SEO efforts that have cost so much time and energy have not borne anything fruitful. Has the search engine optimization work been done correctly, though? That’s the important question!
There are SEO practices that are actually based on search engine optimization strategy misconceptions. Before embarking on another optimization attempt, web masters would find it worthwhile to read about the common SEO fallacies that one should correct so that SEO will not be wasted.
Meta-tags and hidden text
Web masters include the keywords in their meta-tags and this is standard practice. However, some web masters stop there. This is very bad practice!
If a web master wishes to increase his or her pages’ relevance to a search engine queries, then the keywords should also be found on the pages themselves, not only in the meta-tags or codes. It is true that search engines see these keywords within the hidden coding of your website. But an important fact to bear in mind is that words within your page content, visible to readers are now more important than meta-tags.
To compromise, some web administrators incorporate invisible keywords. These are called such because the human eye cannot decipher them. The texts’ color is similar to the background so they blend in with the background when the page is viewed. On the other hand, search engines still see this text so they count towards keyword relevance.
However, what some web masters don’t realize is that these keyword phrases would have been a lot more valuable as keyword phrase anchor texts had they been visible. These anchor texts could have also linked to other pages in the site so that the relevance of the whole site is promoted. It is also pertinent to mention that hidden texts are borderline search engine optimization strategy for it is in fact fooling search engines to believe that the site is relevant to the query. In other words they could get your site banned from search engines!!!
Web page design
Some web masters focus so much on the elements of the web site to the exclusion of other offsite search engine optimization strategy aspects. It is true that a web site should have worthy content that has search engine optimized keywords in place. Keywords distributed in the content of the page increases its relevance to a search engine query in that keyword category. Pages that are aptly and keyword titled are also a very good way to improve the site’s ranking.
Nevertheless, web masters should never believe that having very relevant and keyword-rich pages is the only way to increase page ranking. Search engines actually give much weight to link popularity in their search algorithms. A web administrator must therefore maintain appropriate keyword density but must also work towards improving link popularity through inbound links from other renowned web sites that have related content.
Short-term SEO
Some web masters think that once search engine optimization strategy measures are initiated, they should see the jump in page ranking immediately. This is the most common misconception about search engine optimization and this leads to unnecessary aggravation on the web masters’ part.
Search engine optimization measures do not give instant returns; they take time, sometimes months, to work properly and give a web site’s rank a boost. Web traffic would eventually increase after search engine optimization strategy is set into motion. Meanwhile, web masters can save themselves so much frustration if they just wait for progress and find other means to increase traffic to their sites.
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