SearchEngineOptimization:7StepstoTopRanking+SEOIntranet–YourOne-StopResourceKnowtheDifference•SearchEnginesandDirectoriesaredifferent•OptimizationgenerallyreferstotheworkyoucandoforSearchEngines•Directories,likeYahoooperateunderverydifferentguidelinesSeparatingtheTwo:Directories:•Yahoo(likeshighqualitydescription,sitesthatloadfast,linkpopularityanduniquefunctionality)•ODP(OpenDirectoryProject)•LookSmartSearchEngines:(slowtoregister)•Google•AltaVista•Inktomi•AOL•ExciteWhatDirectoriesLike:•DoorwaypagesorGIPswillnothelp•Metatagswillnothelp•Allsitesreviewedbyactualpeople(donotforgettoaddcomments-bepolite)•Picktherightcategorytosubmitto(digdeepintocategory)•Fillintheapplicationcarefully(writeagooddescriptionthatiskeywordrichandrelevant)•Makesureyoursiteis“perfect”OptimizingForSearchEnginesStepOneKeywordResearch:•Singlemostimportantstepintheprocess•Usetoolsavailable(GoTofreeorpaidoptionslike)•Startverygeneric(example:furniture)•Onlyoptimizeforkeywordsthatareapplicableandworthyourtimeandeffort•See“TheArtofKeywordAnalysis”articleonSEOOptimizingForSearchEnginesStepTwoResearchYourCompetition:•Ifyou’veselectedyourkeywordsyouknowwhoyourcompetitorsforthetopspotsare•Goovertheirpagestoseewhatthey’redoingright•UseexistingtoolslikeKDAifpossible(KeywordDensityAnalysis)•Ifyoucan’tfigureouthowtheydidit,they’relikelycloaking(moreaboutthatlater…)OptimizingForSearchEnginesStepThreeContentisEverything:•Everypagemusthaveacarefullywrittentitle•Everykeywordshouldgetit’sownpageofcontent•Oneortwoparagraphswillnotcutit•UseFAQsorarticlestyletodevelopkeywordrichtext•Makeitcompelling–motivatethesurfertodosomethingOptimizingForSearchEnginesStepFourDevelopingtheActualStrategies:•Mostclientswillnotsacrificeaestheticsforpositioning•Searchenginescannot“read”Flash,java,andotheradvancedtechnologies•Theyalsopenalizetables,intensivegraphics,etc•Ifyourclient’ssiteusestheseyouwilllikelyhavetousea“work-around”likedoorwaypagesorGIPsOptimizingForSearchEnginesStepFourDoorwayPages•“Orphan”pagesdesignedtorankwellinsearchengines•Eachpageoptimizedforit’sownkeyword,andinsomecases,it’sownsearchengine•Useinvisiblelinksfromthesitesotheyarenotpartofthesite•BeverycarefultousedifferentlayoutsforeachdoorwaypageOptimizingForSearchEnginesStepFourGIPs•Pagesdesignedaspartofasite,visiblethroughnavigation•Eachpagehaskeywordrichcontentthataddstotheusersexperience•Eachpageisstilloptimizedforonlyonemainkeyword•Takesmoreeffortbutworthit–searchenginesmuchpreferGIPsOptimizingForSearchEnginesStepFourSubmittingGIPsforDevelopment:•Rememberyouareresponsiblefordevelopingthestrategyoneachpage–productioncentresonlycreatewhatyoutellthemto•ConsiderusinganSEO,whowilldothisforyou•Searchenginesreadmorethanjustthetextonthepage–instructdeveloperhowyouwouldlikekeywordsincorporatedintoheadlinetags,ALTtags,commenttags,styletags,textlinks,etc•UsetheSearchEngineSpreadsheetintheSEOIntranetformoreideasonhowtoincorporatekeywordsintothedifferenttags•Won’thavehugeimpact,butcertainlydoesn’thurtOptimizingForSearchEnginesStepFiveDoYourSubmissionsManually•Don’trelyonautomatedsoftware•Searchengineshave“spamtrappers”forthis•Payattentiontohowoftenandhowmanyyousubmit•Note:Submit1pageperURLaday.•Payattentiontowhichengineswillallowyoutosubmitmorethanonepagepersite•UsetheSearchEngineSpreadsheetintheSEOIntranettomapoutyourstrategyOptimizingForSearchEnginesStepFiveSubmissionOrder(PersonalRecommendations)1.Yahoo(40%)2.ODP(free)3.LookSmart4.Inktomi**5.Google(16%)6.MSN(12%)7.AOL(9%)8.Excite(2.8%)9.Lycos(2.1%)10.AllothermajorsincludingAltaVista,HotBot,etcOptimizingForSearchEnginesStepSixMonthlyMonitoring:•PositioningReports(WebPositionPro)•TrafficReports(Urchin)•Analyseresults•Bepreparedtotweakyourstrategy•Up-sellbasedontrendsandresultsOptimizingForSearchEnginesStepSevenLinkPopularity:•Searchenginesplacingmoreimportanceonthepopularityofsitesbasedontheirlinks•Linksmustberelevantinordertohelp•UselinkrequesttoolsinSEOIntranetDon’tForgetTheCosts:•Keepmandatorycostsinmind(likeYahoo)•Consideroptionalcosts(likeExpressservices)•Makesureyouchargeforyourtime–Upfrontfee–MonthlymaintenancefeesBuyingtheTopSpots:•Clientswithlargerbudgets,whoneedquickresultsshouldconsiderpaidplacement•Paidplacementallowsyoutopayforspecialplacement•Almostallsearchenginesofferdifferentpaidoptions•Recommended:GoTo,YahooSponsoredLink,GoogleAdWordsFinalThoughts:•Don’tdoanythingquestionable–it’sjustnotworthit•PhantomScripting/Cloaking–whatitisandwhatarethedangers•Thingswillcontinuetochange–bepreparedtodedicatetimetoselflearning“Buyingawebsitewithoutsearchengineoptimizationislikespendingyourentirebudgetonacommercialwithoutbuyinganyairtimetoshowittotheworld”ThiscompletesourSEOLeaningTourTolearnmorepleasevisit: