|
|
Already know these SEO basics? Get started now
send for my free Optimization Checklist.
|
|
Does a small business person need to know these details? Not necessarily.
Click here
for an efficient alternative.
|
Copywriting and Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Optimizing your website for search engines and Web directories
is a bit of an art The
art of organizing and skillfully writing your content.
(For my Web copywriting, see About Me: Web Work)
There are many services eager to
optimize your site for search engines and directories some costing a few bucks, some a whole lot of money.
What
is Search Engine Optimization?
Also called "Search Engine Marketing" (which includes paid advertising), SEO or SEM is the process of making your pages attractive
to search-sites, easy to catalog, easy for people to find, click-through inducing, and rewarding to searchers. Notice I said nothing about "keywords" or
"ranking highly". That's just part of the "easy to find" part. At its fullest, SEO is a multi-step,
ongoing process that encompasses everything from your site's look and the form of its code, to what
you say on every page and in all your site descriptions. At its simplest, SEO is a range of things
you can add or modify in a relatively short time. Or I can do it for you. Learn how
here, and send for my detailed Optimization Checklist.
|
Both price ranges are valid. And in both, you'll find
plenty of opportunities to waste your money.
So first, ask these questions:
After reading here, get my free Optimization Checklist
Do people use search engines to find or learn about what you offer? (There's a way to research this.)
If zillions of other sites compete with you,
do you have a specialty, a geographic location, or something else unique that many
people look for?
If both answers are "yes," the prospects for Search Engine Marketing
look hopeful, and your site is a candidate for at least "organic" SEO.
The basic "natural" process is something you can do yourself, with a bit of reading, sometimes in a day or two.
On the other hand, search engine marketing can get very sophisticated. It takes place on a constantly
evolving landscape. (In fact, parts of this page are probably already out of date, since I don't update it as regularly as I update myself. Send for my free Optimization Checklist.) You'll need to pay ongoing attention if you want to evaluate
every marketing opportunity, keep abreast of changes in the search engine environment, and constantly
monitor your results.
The good news is this: Whether you take a basic approach or sophisticated, ultimately the results are often
the same because the vast majority
of your site's traffic comes from the top 5-10 search engines and Internet directories.
And whoever submits your URL to those search sites, and whatever subtleties each of
those sites look for, there is one constant: your content. These days, page content is where
most of the optimization work needs to be done.
Learn more about SEO/SEM, in my free Optimization Checklist
Let's get at some details...
What I know about search engines
Submitting to search engines without submitting to fate
After reading hundreds of pages of advice (good, fair and conflicting),
experimenting over the years, optimizing sites and observing results,
using site-submitting software, and working with web developers and SEO firms,
I've drawn these conclusions:
- Don't believe everything you read. Some of the Web's information
on the subject is very knowledgeable, but most of it is secondary
reporting. Writers occasionally contradict each other. Much is also
out of date -- or soon will be (including parts of this page!).
But a handful of sites can be relied on to be authoritative. Two of the best are
SearchEngineWatch.com
and SelfPromotion.com.
- Don't go crazy over it. Keeping up-to-the-minute with
all the search engines and directories is easily a full-time job.
It's also a waste of time unless you're in that business or your
site is large enough to dedicate an employee to the issue. For the
rest of us, the experts (and I) advise that you work carefully to
please Yahoo and Google, find a "common-ground solution"
for the other major search sites, and don't obsess over becoming
ranked number one. You can also submit to the smaller specialized
directories in your field, but it probably won't pay to spend much
time on them. Submit to the list over time, learn from results as
you do, check your listings from periodically, and resubmit as necessary.
- No one can work miracles for you. If you are in a field
shared by thousands of other sites on the Web, you may never be
able to be in the top 10 sites based on your most typical keyword.
Some services and software will assure you of a high listing if
you choose another keyword or phrase (depending on your business,
market and words, that strategy may make some sense, or it may be absurd).
If
your field is super-crowded, then develop a niche. And remember that search
engines aren't the only affordable way to promote your site, especially
now that some search sites no longer list you for free.
- Plan and test. Several major search sites have followed
Yahoo's lead in charging a fee just to consider your site
(noncommercial sites are still free). Now Yahoo charges annually
just for retaining you. These are still bargains as advertising
expenditures go, and thanks to these policies at least now the entry
log jam is free. But for small marketers, the cost of entry is hardly
small change. Now more than ever, do things right the first time.
(By the way, Yahoo isn't quite the referring force it used to be.
Google outstrips it in many logs. Few people use the Yahoo directory
(as opposed to spidered) listings anymore. And with Yahoo's spidered data
used for sites not in the Yahoo directory, you might even prefer to have your
robust spidered description appear, rather than one in Yahoo's skimpy
non-promotional style! But Google and other search engines
place a lot of importance on the number of heavyweight sites linked
to you. If you're not in Yahoo, you look that much smaller in their
eyes. Again act incrementally, after observing your situation.)
Paid placement (e.g., GoTo/Overture) is another concept
providing new opportunities. And it's another reason to work your
budget carefully. An amazing number of marketers jump into this
game without comparing options and having a plan for measuring results.
Now is the time to begin,
but you should plan your expenditures, and know how you will monitor them (there
are tools and services to help with both, including me).
And whatever you do online, linking your efforts with
other types of promotion can multiply the effects of search engine
marketing.
- Use someone or something you trust. Team with someone
who you believe will do a conscientious job for you, and who will
be able to follow-up. Whether you submit using a service, fully
automatic software, "computer aided" software, or do it all manually
in your spare time, the submitting process is basically the same.
Your choice of method may affect the cost, the time you'll spend,
and the control you'll have. None of that will necessarily correspond
to your ranking results.
Optimization and submittal is a process, not a step. Because search
engines and directories build their catalogs at different rates, modify
their methods, change their standards, increase prices, drop sites accidentally
(sometimes reinstating them just as mysteriously), and add competitive
sites all the time, your top priority is to choose a method and partner
you can continue with over the long haul.
What techniques will improve your placement? Click on.
Trick the engines, not surfers
Tricks aren't tricky if they're honest
There are a whole bunch of techniques you can use. Search engines want
you to use some of them. But some techniques will get you penalized
or even bounced. If your optimization techniques are relevant to your
site's content, you're on the right path. Plan your site for people.
Just try to please the search engine robots and directory editors, while
you're at it.
Ultimately, the most important technique is to optimize key pages
(you might even want to make some key pages), and keep optimization
in mind throughout your site.
What's okay and what's not? Here are some examples.
- NO: Hiding words on the page. This trick (for example,
listing keywords in the same color as the background) has been discredited
for so long, I almost shouldn't bother mentioning it.
But every so often someone still argues that it works. Maybe a minor
instance will scrape though, but don't chance it. Assume that if
the human visitor doesn't see what the search engine editor or robot
sees, sooner or later your site will be penalized.
- YES: Meta tags. These are non-printing commands that you
include your HTML code. They used to be the means of search
engine optimization, but they've been so misused that now most search
engines barely pay attention to them. Nevertheless, be sure to include
them, including the <title> tag (which technically isn't a
meta tag) and the description tag, which many search engines will
use as the description in your listing. Opinions vary as to what
is optimal meta tag content (long vs. short descriptions, how often
words can be repeated, capitalization, whether to include words
that are in your text, or not in your text, etc.).
In any case, you'd better have some effective content on your page,
too. Because now that's what search engine spiders and editors look
at.
- MAYBE: Bridge pages. Bridge pages are alternative entry
points. Also known as splash, doorway, or gateway
pages, these were another big search engine optimization tool at
one time. They are still useful for measuring and mapping traffic,
and sometimes are legitimate for greeting visitors or optimization.
But done badly they can make it look like you're spamming the search
engines (for example, if they have no particular content and all
lead to the same single page). They can also diffuse your site's
overall "theme," thus lowering your ranking for
it. (The good news is that if a robot is technically unable to tour
your site for a legitimate reason, search engine editors are more
tolerant of bridge pages that compensate.)
- DEPENDS: Server stuff. There are some fancy things you
can do at the server level to play tricks on visiting search engines.
Some are legitimate workarounds. Others are subterfuge. If you have
the budget and computing resources to play this ongoing game of
search engine relations or cat-and-mouse, you don't need me to tell
you how to do it. Some of the caveats I've mentioned above will
apply.
Learn more about SEO/SEM, in my free Optimization Checklist
What do you need me for? Well...
Writing makes the difference
The write way to optimize your site
If everyone in your field uses the same keywords, and uses similar meta
tags, pays the fees and all that, the one thing that's different about
your site is its architecture and its text (okay, its graphics and layout
may also impress an editor somewhat). In both aspects -- site planning
and content -- your content writer plays a major role.
Let's break it out:
- Site design. While good graphic design is
important, here I mean "design" in the planning sense. Your first
priority is to make the site easy for people to navigate. But it
should also be easy for search engine robots to tour, and some of
them aren't too hot at it. Complicated page relationships and gimmicks
can confuse them. Also, they don't see the visual context, and most
don't travel very deep. If your development team lacks a formal
Information Architect, remember that experienced copywriters are
also trained to sort this stuff out. Whoever does it, they should
also have marketing smarts, so that your site leads each visitor
as surely as possible to making the sale.
- Overall content. After years of evaluating sites
page-by-page, search engines now tend to look at a site's overall
topical focus. It still pays to optimize certain pages for certain
keywords and visitors, but just having a great home page may not
be enough to make your site seem content-rich. Lead straight to
the sale, and don't add fluff. But make your site count.
- Links to your site. These, too, are now a major
factor in how your site ranks. But links from sites that nobody
visits are virtually worthless. You want links from major players
and other sites that are relevant to yours. In many cases,
this will take some intelligent e-mailing to those sites' editors.
Also provide a description tailored to their needs and style. After
all, if you're going to be listed there, you might as well do your
best to make their visitors yours.
- Dressing up your hallways. A hallway page leads
to all the key pages of your site, "flattening" your geography
for robots by providing access from one simple page. The hallway
page might do double duty as your site map, but not necessarily.
In any case, you want it robust and easy for robots to follow, while
not confusing or boring for the human visitors who happen by. Giving
the page a dual function takes a little creativity. You want it
to reflect intelligently on you.
- Embedding keywords. Again, your site is for real
people, not for search engines. Write for people. But if skillful,
knowledgeable writing can embed keywords sensibly throughout the
text, so much the better. Do it well. Search engines downplay simple
word lists. Some look at whether the text is too long or (geez!)
too short. They may weight words higher when evenly distributed,
and penalize for words that appear too much -- all based, rightly
or wrongly, on statistical expectations known only to them. That's
all the more reason to make your writing natural.
In addition, you should be working keyword-rich copy into
some important nooks and crannies. For example, HTML standards now
require "alt" text that pops up when you place the cursor over
an image. Use
it. The text's official purpose is to describe the image for people
who can't see it, but at the same time, it can reinforce a key
selling point, add a little fun or flair, and often include a keyword.
There are also other standard nooks. And crannies you can build yourself, so consider them early.
- Give your bridge pages real content. (A popular
optimization program still features this technique, so pardon if
I go on a bit.)
Above, I said that a bridge page is also known
as a splash page. Not exactly. A splash page is about "image" (your
market image, I mean, not necessarily a huge, slow-loading,
self-serving graphic image that many surfers dislike). A bridge
page may also present your image, but its real job is to count visitor
arriving from a certain source, or to show search engines content
focused on a certain topic. For example, if your site sells gift
items, you could have a bridge page about "Gifts," another one about
"Weddings," and one about "Christmas," etc. Nothing wrong with that,
especially if your each leads logically to a different page of your
site.
There would be something wrong if your bridge
pages had nothing to do with your site (say, they were about the
world's top 10 keywords). All it takes is a few surfers to complain
to the search engine for your site to be investigated by an editor.
So, what if you want to attract gift buyers who were
thinking about flowers, and you don't carry them? It would be tempting
to create a page for "flowers," except a crude attempt could get
you penalized or ignored (not to mention offending potential customers).
That's why some search engines ignore pages that don't have a significant
amount of text. Or that consist solely of lists. Or that send visitors
to another page automatically. Or pages that are linked only
to pages in another domain.
How do you satisfy search engines and surfers alike?
No guarantees, but as I hope you've noticed, the answer can lie
in giving your bridge pages worthwhile content. Craft things to
establish the topical focus while still moving visitors efficiently
to a sale. This approach actually takes advantage of the Web's special
nature -- netizens who find information of value (not
just a sales pitch) feel more rewarded, and can reward you more
handsomely, too.
(Note: There's another downside now that
search engines place so much value on traffic and Internet links
-- bridge pages can sap these numbers from your
"real" pages.)
- Site description. A high ranking
is garbage unless your listing's description triggers click-throughs.
That's tricky, because you don't have total control. Even if you
write a fascinating description, they may chop it off after X-number of words!
Search engines often use the Description tag that should be in your code, while directories start with descriptions you submit.
Some directories want just the facts, others let you be more promotional. Some
want only a few words, others accept hundreds.
This is a job for your copywriter! Make your site- and page-descriptions benefit-oriented ... and assure the call-to-action remains when truncated. Give each directory a description
suited to its style, content and length standards, so it survives
well, with or without editing. And craft a different, intriguing Description tag
for each of your pages, weaving in keywords suited to the page topic.
- Improve your site's conversion rate. This won't do beans
for your search engine position,
but if you work on selling more of your visitors, that effort
may be even more effective than overdoing the SEO stuff, with a
better ROI.
Finally, don't do Yahoo until you've got this down. At least not until
you've read the next section.
What to do next?
You've spruced up your site inside and out. You've written a range
of compelling descriptions for search engines to use. Now how do
you invite them to the party?
Remember . . . except maybe for a couple directories
specific to your industry, the only search engines and directories
that really matter are the handful of major ones. For many of
them, all you do is provide your site's home page address. In fact,
some may use links from other sites to discover your site without
your help (a couple even factor the number of referring links into
your rating).
Search engines send a robot (or "spider"), and what they
see is what you get. Directories send humans to look at your site.
You pretty much have to trust to their judgment, which might
be better than a robot's. After all, humans (so far)
are less easily confused, and can see more easily through some types
of subterfuge. But humans can also be bored, rushed or upset at the
moment they come by your place.
That includes Yahoo's editor. Even with the introduction of their
paid "Express Submission" option (and for commercial sites,
the unpaid option is kaput, whatever Yahoo.com says), once
Yahoo has made a judgment, getting them to reconsider can be almost
impossible (there are ways to approach them, but don't bank on that).
So, make life easy for all these reviewers. Be ready for prime time.
Delete or fill out any pages that are still "under construction."
Point the way and show the editors (and your other visitors) what
they need to know about you and your site as soon as they arrive.
How to invite them?
You
can spend thousands of dollars working with a company specializing
in this area. Even thousands per month. As I've said, it's an ongoing
process, and for a major commerce site, these services can be worth
it.
Or, for comparative peanuts you can use software or one of several
online facilities that submit your home page or a bridge page to the
major search engines. Sometimes they also submit to hundreds or even
thousands of lists and directories (not that you'll ever get anything
but spam from them). Fill out a master form, select some parameters,
and click. Some services may even be using some of this software.
Do you need either? Only if it helps you optimize your site, or you've
optimized first. And even then (as they should tell you), a high ranking
by search engines cannot be guaranteed -- search engine methods are
proprietary, differ, and constantly change.
It's that "changing" part that can be a problem. Whether you use
a service or program, or are planning to do it yourself, ask first:
- If the program or service gives you advice on optimization, is
it current?
- Is the program regularly updated to add new engines and directories,
and delete dead ones?
- How long will the service last? Maintaining a strong listing in
search engines is an ongoing process. Will you get occasional reports,
at least for the major engines? Also, getting listed doesn't always
work the first time. Sometimes sites just mysteriously disappear
from the list. You may have to resubmit. But resubmitting unnecessarily
or too frequently can be hurt you.
- How are listing and ranking reports produced? An unannounced change
in search sites' policies can make an automated reporting tool out-of-date
overnight. Also, some search engines may penalize for excessive automated ranking checks
(which, after all, eat into the engine's capacity and skew its usage statistics). Automated checking
should be accurate and responsible, and a reputable vendor should at least spot-check
manually to verify the data.
- Some sites aren't search-engine friendly. Pages that are database-driven,
for example. Your software or service should have a viable strategy
for resolving or compensating for this issue, and you should understand
what it is.
- Beware of any service or software that guarantees you top-placement
results. That's beyond their control. But build in incentives for
effectiveness, and verify that services are being performed. Know
in advance what techniques the software or service will use, so
you're confident that they are appropriate to your interests and
needs.
As I've said probably too many times now, search sites are constantly
changing and growing. So are the tools and providers available to
you, as is your competitive environment. Your site will grow, too,
and its longevity will become another positive ranking factor.
Meanwhile,
your growing knowledge on this subject will also help you improve
your search engine results.
And
remember that search engines are just part of a site-marketing mix.
Adding mail, e-mail, online relationships, advertising, public relations
and other traditional marketing communications techniques, you should
be able to improve your results still more. Good luck!
Learn more about SEO/SEM, in my free Optimization Checklist
|
|