Page Optimization

Page Optimization

Page optimization is the process of making sure that your website functions in the most effective way possible in relation to search engines. The following are steps you can take to optimize your page:

•       Use your keywords in your page title. Place the most important keyword phrase close to the beginning of the page title. Do not put your site title on every page of your site unless you are really trying to brand that name. In that scenario, it still is usually best to place the site name at the end of the page titles.

•       Shorter site titles are usually better than really long ones.

•       Sometimes I overlap related keyword phrases in the page title. Overlapping keyword phrases in the page title can help you pick up multiple search phrases. For example, professional search engine marketing services helps me obtain good rankings for (1) search engine marketing, (2) professional search engine marketing, (3) search engine marketing services, and (4) professional search engine marketing services.

•       Meta tags are not extremely important, but they can help some. The meta description should be a sentence to a paragraph describing the page contents. The meta description tag can be seen in some search results, so you want to write it for human eyes and for it be compelling.

•       The meta keywords tag is probably not worth the time to make, but if you do make one, it should contain your primary keyword and its common misspellings and synonyms. Each keyword phrase in the keywords tag should be comma separated.

•       Use a single, descriptive H1 header on your page containing the keyword phrases similar to those you targeted in the page title. This helps reinforce the page title.

•       Use descriptive subheaders (H2 or H3) before every paragraph or every few paragraphs. This improves usability and helps define what the page is about to search engines without making the page look like it was written for a search engine.

•       Use bulleted lists and bolding to break up content and make it easier to read.

•       Write your content for human consumption. If you write exclusively for search engines, the pages will read poorly and nobody will want to look at them.

Analytics

Analytics

It helps to install a free or cheap analytics program like Google Analytics or HaveAMint.com before you start marketing so you can see what keywords you rank for. It is easier to rank for related keywords than to rank for entirely new keywords.

You can also use pay per click marketing on Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft right off the start to learn what keywords convert well for you and which keywords do not.

Keyword Selection

Keywords are what help your site get recognized by Internet search engines, and as a result, help would-be customers find your Internet presence. There are many strategies that can be employed to ensure the likelihood of your website coming up in keyword searches:

•       Use a keyword tool to help you find the most targeted keywords for your site.

•       Pick themes or keyword baskets around which you can optimize the various sections of your site.

•       Targeting keyword phrases is a much better idea than trying to target individual words. Keyword phrases tend to be easier to rank well for AND they typically convert far better than individual words.

•       Target different keyword phrases on each page.

•       Target no more than one or two primary and two or three secondary keyword phrases per page.

•       If you generate hundreds (or even thousands) of pages of content, make sure they read well and have unique content. Over time, if people cite your content, your page will start to rank for many different terms as long as it is unique and targeted around a theme.

Domain Registration & Hosting

Domain Registration & Hosting

Once you have selected a domain name, you must make sure that it is available, and then register it. After your domain name has been registered, you must find a reliable host for your website.

•       Register your domain with an ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) accredited registrar. I use GoDaddy.

•       Register as a .com if possible, if you have a global market. If you cannot get a

.com, but a great .net or .org is still available, it might be worth it to register one of those instead of registering a longer (and less memorable) .com domain.

•       If you are targeting a specific country or language, register a domain name in that country’s top-level domain designation (e.g., buy a co.uk website for a U.K.-targeted site). Also buy the .com version of your domain name and point it at your country-specific location.

•       Oftentimes certain directories and search engines will either be biased toward local sites will or only let local sites in the index. “Local” may mean ending with a local domain and/or being hosted on a server in that country.

•       Host your site with a reliable host. I recommend DreamHost or Pair.com.

•       For dynamic sites, make sure your host supports the technology you will be using (such as ASP or PHP) before spending money.

Picking a Domain Name

Picking a Domain Name

Finding the right domain name can be a tricky business, and indeed, can mean the difference between success and failure in the online marketplace. As such, it is important to consider the following before choosing a domain name:

•       FOR NEW SITES: Depending on your branding angle, pick a domain name that is either highly brandable (meaning that it can be easily and positively associated with your product or service) or one that has your primary keywords in it. Use a short and memorable domain name. It is fine if it does not have your keywords in it if it is memorable. For serious, long-term websites, a memorable domain name will be one of the key ingredients to success.

•       If your domain name exactly matches your keywords Google places a relevancy bonus on your site. (ex: SeoBook.com ranks easily for both seobook and seo book).

•       If you are going to be working in competitive fields, or if you will have large sites, you may want to use a different domain for each different language you are targeting.

Examples of domain names I own: BlackHatSEO.com, SEOBook.com, FattyWeightLoss.com, and Threadwatch.org

SEO Tips

Quick Summary of Do-It-

Yourself SEO Tips

Many people who buy this book will never read it in its entirety. To help whet your palate and ensure you get some value out of this text (and, therefore, read the whole thing), here is a quick-start checklist highlighting the most important aspects of search engine optimization and Internet marketing. When looking to start with search engine optimization, consider the following issues:

Picking a Product

You may read this title and think that you have already accomplished this step, and that your product (or your vision for your product) is already refined, wrapped, and ready for purchase. However, there are many key questions that should be considered before bringing your wares or service to customers:

•       Are you interested in the product you are trying to sell? If not, why not choose a different product?

The Internet makes marketing anything a possibility. You are far more likely to succeed if you are interested in what you are trying to sell. Also, it is far easier to sell people what they want than to get them to want your product. Create something the market wants.

•       Is the marketplace for your product oversaturated?

Examples: Posters, credit cards, prescription drugs, hosting, generic site design, and ink refills are all oversaturated markets. Breaking into these markets can be exceptionally difficult, so think carefully about what would make your product different and needed.

•       Is the product something people would want to order over the web?

•       Is there something you can do to make yourself different than everyone else on the market? (Please note: “cheaper” usually is not a legitimate branding/business model for most websites in a hyper-competitive market.)

Example: No other e-book covering SEO was supported by a blog that keeps up with the SEO industry every day (at least, not when I first wrote this one).

Another example: In 2002, I created a SEO “worst practices” directory. To this day, nobody else has made a site like it. It earned me thousands in the first year with a marketing budget well under $100.

In the end, ask yourself -- Would people want to link to your site without you asking them to? If not, what creative or original ideas can you add to your site to make people want to link to it?