If you've been following the evolution of search engine optimization strategies, you know that the game's not getting any easier. Not only that, but traditional forms of optimizing aren't as effective as they once were. Am I telling you anything you don't already know?
Michael Campbell, author of the popular e-book, Nothing But `Net and editor of The Vault, a subscription newsletter pertaining to search engine positioning strategies, offers some serious answers to these concerns as he examines a new "wave" of search engines: theme engines.
Why DO The Search Engines Change So Much?
Why do the search engines constantly have to evolve into a different type of engine? Why can't they stay the same?
To answer this, let's look at the ultimate goal of a search engine. What do the search engines want to do? They want to provide relevant results to you, the user. Why can't they do that under the current system?
There are several reasons why the current system isn't working. For one thing, the Internet is growing at an unheard of rate. Plus, spammers are growing at an unheard of rate as well. In many ways, the engines are fighting a losing battle to provide relevant results while combating spamming and duplicate pages.
In essence, the engines need a way to store more pages, combat spam, and still provide (or attempt to provide) pertinent results. So, in an effort to provide relevant results, the engines began sliding in other variables, which is where the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation search engines come in.
1st, 2nd, and 3rd Generation Engines
By understanding the path we've taken to get where we are in this crazy search engine business, it might give us some insight into where we're going.
You may have heard of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation engines, but what exactly does that mean?
Michael Campbell explains,
In the beginning, search results were very basic and largely depended on what was on the Web page. Important factors included keyword density, title, and where in the document keywords appeared.
First generation added relevancy for META tags, keywords in the domain name, and a few bonus points for having keywords in the URL. Basic spam filters emerged that got rid of keyword stuffing and same color text. The portals also made their appearance, and engines started looking like giant billboards and overstuffed yellow pages.
All of this is quite familiar, isn't it? Almost too familiar.
But, do META tags hold as much importance as they once did? No. Does using keywords in various tags help as much? Generally not.
Instead, the engines took it a step further in their quest for relevant results by bringing in 2nd generation engines.
Campbell explains,
Second generation, which is in full swing with the themes thing, added much in the way of off page criteria and link analysis. A few of the major components they employ are tracking clicks, page reputation, link popularity, temporal tracking, and link quality. Then they started adding in term vectors, stats analysis, cache data, and context where two-word keyword pairs were extracted from a page to better categorize it.
We'll cover "term vectors" and other information mentioned in the above paragraph later in this article. For now, let's continue with 2nd generation engines.
We all know how important a good solid link popularity is these days. Does any old link count? Certainly not. The days of huge link exchange programs with no thought for "related" links are over.
Plus, with Google's PageRank system and DirectHit's method of tracking clicks and the length of visits, we're seeing more evidence of a 2nd generation engine.
But what is a 3rd generation engine? It's almost mind boggling to consider.
Campbell explains,
Third generation is already underway. It adds word stemming and a thesaurus on top of the term vector database to assist in keeping a search in context. Auto extraction of keyword pairs also helps automatically categorize a page, where searches like `shop for' or `find' trigger totally different search results based on the context or intent of the person doing the searching.
G3 adds Web maps which, although not searchable, are a useful filtering tool to get rid of duplicate sites and many stand alone pages that drive traffic to only a few destinations. This means pages like doorways, gateways, entry, splash, or whatever you want to call them, will soon get filtered out.
They will also be extracting as much data as possible about your individual searching habits. All the major engines plan on building personal profiles, little robots that `come to know you' over a period of time, based on past searching habits.
Okay, so we have a good idea of where the search engines are headed, but how can we keep up? The 2nd and 3rd generation engines are theme-based, but what does that mean, and how does it translate to what we need to do with our own sites?
What are "Theme" Engines?
What exactly is a "theme" engine? First, let's hear the scientific definition. This isn't easy reading, so it might help if you have a brown paper bag handy in case you hyperventilate.
Computer scientists working with Campbell define "themes" or "topics" as,
Using a term vector database, they weigh page keyword density to calculate the page vector, which is compared and stored relative to the term vector. They then compute a Web page reputation by graphing interconnectivity and link relevancy, making sure the reputation of the page and the content on the page actually match. The closest matches get the highest search engine positioning.
Uh huh. Kinda hurts the brain cells, doesn't it?
Now, let's look at an easier-to-understand explanation. How does Michael Campbell define a theme engine?
One. The answer is one. What you say about your Web page, how the structure of other people's Web pages compares on the same topic, and what other people say your site is about, must match, be in harmony with each other, be as one.
Or, in the cold hard world of the search engines, where everything is weighted and calculated according to mathematical formulas, whoever is closest to the 1.000000 without going over is the winner, coming up tops in the search engine.
A theme engine looks at all the information on a `seed set' or a group of sites and pages that it has already spidered and has in its index. It assigns each page in the index a number or page vector. This becomes the `core' of the search engine.
Suppose you just submitted a Web page, so you are now in competition with everything in the core. The engine looks at everything on your page, from one and two keyword phrase densities, to page length, compares it to the seed set and assigns your page a number, for each keyword phrase. These numbers assigned to the keyword phrases are known as `term vectors.'
The closer your term vector is to the page vector, the better chance your page has of being a top ten contender for any particular keyword phrase. You might even be `folded in' to the core, bumping off some other page, causing it to fall out of the search engine. (Some engines will adopt the `pay to stay in the core' model in the near future, so paid sites won't get bumped out.)
Then, there is what the rest of the Internet and its users have to say about your page. Link analysis, traffic, stats, and cache data are all taken into consideration and analyzed.
The next step is to add in and calculate words in incoming links to your page, making sure they match up to your term vector. So, what the search engine has determined that your page is about must match what the rest of the Internet says your page is about in their links to you.
So in review, in layman's terms, here is what I would define as a theme based engine:
What you say your page is about, what the search engine calculates your page to be about, and what the rest of the Internet thinks your page is about, must match, according to their mathematical formulas.
Then, as the whipped cream topping on top of the theme behavior sundae, are the stats and cache data. If your site is one of a search engine's top exit pages, it must be good, because people don't come back and search some more once they've found your site. You just got a big boost in positioning. And, if your site gets searched and clicked on so often that you are in the engine's cache for speedy data retrieval, your site must be very good indeed.
All of these factors, both on and off page criteria, help define what a theme-based search engine is looking for. They are looking for unanimous approval that your site is all about a particular topic. And the more narrow the focus on that topic, the better your site will do.
Take a deep breath. You probably feel like your mind is burning with information, because this is a lot to digest. Go get a cup of coffee (or a stiff drink), and let's get back to work.
Which Engines are Theme Engines?
In Campbell's opinion, all search engines are moving toward being theme-based.
It's just another way of saying they are implementing `second generation' search engine strategies. Some engines call it `in context' searching, while others call it `rank and reputation' or `on topic.' These are all different ways of saying the same thing: adding off-page criteria to help determine relevancy.
So, with all of the engines gravitating toward being theme engines, does this mean that we have to scrap our current search engine optimization strategies? Not necessarily.
Let's look at a few of our current optimization strategies to see how effective they'll be with theme engines.
Current Optimization Strategies
1. Cloaking
With the move toward theme engines, will cloaking be as effective when working with a theme engine?
John Heard, producer of IP-Delivery, a leading cloaking software, says it will be just as effective and even allow for more flexibility in page content if implemented properly.
According to Heard,
There is no difference between a cloaked or non-cloaked site when it comes to themes for in-bound link popularity in most cases. However, it should be noted that a cloaked site can choose what links it does or does not show to the search engines. This is potentially advantageous.
Say that you want to trade links with someone. You want the advantage of their link popularity but you don't want to send your popularity back to them. A cloaked page will help you do this if you set it up right. By placing the links only on the consumer version page but excluding them from the search engine optimized (cloaked) page, you can 'hide' them from the engine.
So yes, in that way, cloaking can affect link popularity. It's entirely in the hands of the SEO professional in the manner it's used. Cloaking is handy if you want to cross link sites and show those links to humans but don't want the engines to see the links.
A good example is if you own a computer hardware site and a travel site. The two topics are not theme related so you don't want the engines to see the links between them. On the other hand, you might want your site visitors to see the links and a cloaking system would give you the best of both worlds.
2. Keyword Weight
Is keyword weight dying in importance, similar to its optimization buddies the META tags?
Not at all.
Campbell explains that keyword density is a very important foundation upon which everything else is built.
Different types of documents or pages have different characteristic densities. The seed set of Web pages that the theme engine used to populate its database will determine what is a normal keyword density for each keyword, based on the entire collection of pages for any particular topic.
Since the term vector database (TVD) is an open-ended application, other applications can be run on top of it. This gives the search engines the ability to change the target keyword densities from the normal parameters at will, to give the illusion of fresh search results, without needing to recompile the database. Smoke and mirrors mostly, but it keeps the very important keyword density target moving.
3. Competitive Keywords
One real problem when working with theme engines is getting stuck in the wrong vector if there are already many sites on a particular subject. Being in the wrong vector will mean that your page won't match the term vector, so your site's ranking will suffer.
But what if you're working with a highly competitive keyword phrase?
Campbell suggests,
If there are already 50 documents with 100 percent relevancy associated with a term vector in the database core, you are not likely to get in unless you pay for it. If you are really lucky, you might nail some off-page criteria that makes your site more important and bump some other site off. It is do-able, but it is a lot of hard work.
If you need instant traffic, just go after the low hanging fruit. Go after a second or third, yet popular, way of saying the same thing. For example, the phrase cellular phones is fierce and mobile phones is tough. Wireless phones is a very popular search phrase but has relatively little competition. My advice would be to go after the low hanging fruit first, and then try playing with the professionals at the top of the tree.
Getting stuck in the wrong vector is nasty. You'll need to change the content on your page to be sure it cannot be taken out of context. Make sure that on your banana bread recipe page, don't say you're growing fond of the recipe. Otherwise, the vector might determine your site is about growing bananas and not banana bread. The good news is that we can expect TVD's to get more accurate as they add more context intelligence.
4. Stop Words
Another problem in working with theme engines concerns stop words. If an engine considers a word a stop word, it won't get indexed at all. So, if your keyword phrase contains a stop word, you need to work around it. "If the engine is filtering out the word Web in the phrase Web site hosting, it means focusing your efforts on the phrase site hosting or saying the same thing but in a different way, like domain hosting," explains Campbell.
5. Redundancy Filters
With the theme engines looking for redundant Web pages, how can you avoid setting off the redundancy filters?
Simply put, the days of having mirror sites are over.
So, to avoid setting off the redundancy filter, don't duplicate, mirror, or copy your pages. Don't use "cookie cutter" templates with the keywords swapped out.
Campbell explains,
The filters are getting even tighter with Web maps. They can tell if a bunch of pages are doorways, or dupes, even if they are stored on different domains, because the page length and bite size are similar and they all point to the same place. They'll all get nuked in the culling process.
Campbell suggests sitting down and writing what the page is about.
Then once the page is complete, look at the target keyword densities you would like to achieve and start working the keywords into the title, headlines, links, and body copy of the page.
Try not to go too crazy with doorway pages for each site. Spread them around on different domains. Set up completely different Web sites to sell related yet different product lines, and create your own mini Internet of linked sites.
6. Lengthy Pages
With theme engines, you'll be walking a fine line between giving the engine what it wants to see (related content) and providing too much information.
If you provide too much information, it's likely that the page pertains to more than one topic, which means you'll have a more difficult time getting a top ranking.
But is it also a problem with TVD's compressing large pages?
"The TVD doesn't actually store the entire page," says Campbell.
It looks at the page, tries automatically to determine what it is about, and reduces it down to only a few words, like a dozen or so possible keywords and phrases.
The more words there are on a page, the more likely you are to talk about several topics, which in turn dilutes the dozen or so possible term vectors that the page can be about. Ideally, you want to focus the page on a single theme or keyword and describe its context with several two or three word combos.
If I had to pick a number, I would say to try to keep pages between 100 to 700 words, unless you really know what you are doing.
7. Changes in Ranking
With term vector databases, your pages may have been discovered by the engine's spider and given a ranking but have not yet been added to the database. Does this mean that once the pages are actually added to the database, their ranking could go up or down?
Campbell explains,
Yes, a page may have been discovered by a crawler but not yet folded in to the TVD. The temporary positioning in search results is based on the likelihood that your page contains relevant information. It's commonly called page reputation or what your page is known for. It is largely based on what incoming links say your site is about.
Once the engine recompiles its index, the page reputation will be compared to the term vector using a complicated mathematical formula and weighting scheme. In short, the reputation of the page and the term vector of the page must match to be a top 10 contender. The further away the numbers are from each other, the less relevancy, and the poorer the positioning of the page in search results.
How does Inktomi's 3rd Generation Engine Compare with AltaVista's?
Campbell says that he hasn't seen a lot of difference between the two.
They all seem to be going in the same general direction. But to be sure, the customization or proprietary experience at one engine over another will be their big selling point in the future.
They will definitely want to make their search experience unique -- to give the users a brand, or reason, why they would rather fight than switch. Otherwise, they may fade into the same old bland mediocrity and continue to lose traffic because of it.
Tips on Working with Theme Engines
How can we create Web pages that theme engines will like and boost our odds at getting top rankings?
* The days of having one single Web site devoted to your entire operation are virtually over. When working with theme engines, you'll want to make sure that what your page is about matches what the engines believe your page is about which also matches what other sites believe your page is about.
So, set up additional Web sites for different areas of your company. If you sell sports equipment, set up a site for hunting equipment, one for fishing, for baseball, and so forth. Interlink them together, carefully controlling how you're describing the links pointing to those other pages.
Make the overall design of the sites similar, so that customers will understand that they're still on your "turf," but change the content and the featured theme.
* When using link text, try eliminating punctuation marks and small, inconsequential words, like "and," "the," "it," and "for." Cut to the chase with link text by putting JUST the keyword phrase that you're aiming toward.
* Related link popularity is crucial, so if you have one site that's listed in several of the large, important directories, be sure to link it to your other sites, especially new ones.
* FOCUS! Keep each page focused on one topic, and keep each site focused on one topic. Ideas for topics include your different services, product names or categories, uses of those products, etc. Make sure that each interior or information page reinforces the main theme of the entire site.
"Use two, or at the most three, word combos in links to achieve this," suggests Campbell.
Use incoming and outgoing related links and content-rich pages.
* "Pull all the pages out of the database, set them up as static pages, and put them to work for you in the search engines," Campbell suggests.
* Check each page carefully. Make sure that everything on the page points to one central theme or has one focus. Do everything you can to make sure that the engine understands what your primary theme is.
* Don't use nearly identical pages with slightly different keyword phrases. Instead, create new and different pages for your keyword phrases.
More work? Absolutely. Will it pay off? You'll certainly have a much better chance at top rankings while avoiding the redundancy filters.
* Create your pages as if you're writing an article on your keyword phrase. Don't be afraid of content, but don't go overboard with it either.
* As you focus each page on a particular keyword phrase, use that keyword phrase in your tags and text on the page: title, headline, ALT, URLs, link text, META tags, etc.
META tags certainly don't hold the importance that they once did, so don't depend solely on them to achieve a top ranking.
* Go after keyword phrases that aren't as competitive in the beginning. Then, go after the more competitive phrases next.
What Does the Future Hold?
Campbell answers,
In the future, you might be able to load the engine full of lists of keywords. Your interests, likes and dislikes, geographical info, and favorite Web sites can be entered, from which the engine can create a context engine just for you. Just think, they'll know what your next search is likely to be, even before you do.
It's almost frightening, isn't it?
For More Information
Michael has already published three very good search engine reports and is working on another that discusses:
* Offpage criteria: What's on your page is only half the optimization battle.
* How search engines determine what your page is known for.
* Why you might want to tell people to "link off" of your web site.
* Establishing a "reputation" on a topic using leverage from other sites.
* How to turn Google's Page Rank system into an unfair advantage.
* Are you a hub or an authority? How to use both for maximum positioning.
* Handy tips for getting listed in Google and staying there.
* Making your site theme proof: A fail-safe strategy to ensure success.
* How to link different themes together and dominate the search engines.
If you would like to order any of Michael's reports go to http://www.searchenginepositioning.com
More Research Sources
Read the WWW9 research papers by visiting http://www9.org/w9cdrom
Read AltaVista's September 15, 2000 press release which mentions their 3rd generation engine. http://doc.altavista.com/company_info/press/pr091500.html
Read Inktomi's April 11, 2000 press release announcing their 3rd generation search engine. http://www1.inktomi.com/new/press/2000/gen3.html
Robin Nobles teaches 2-, 3-, and 5-day hands-on search engine marketing workshops in locations across the globe (SearchEngineWorkshops.com) as well as online SEO training courses (OnlineWebTraining.com). They have recently launched localized SEO training centers through SearchEngineAcademy.com, and they have expanded their workshops to Europe with Search Engine Workshops UK. They have also opened the first networking community for SEOs, the Workshop Resource Center (WRC).
http://www.searchengineworkshops.com/articles/se-optimization-future.html
Friday, June 8, 2007
Source Code Cloaking
Note: Because the search engines are opposed to this strategy and consider it against their terms of service, we highly recommend that you don't use cloaking strategies. There is NO reason to cloak your Web pages. We are leaving this page in our listing of articles, however, because it is found in the SERPs. Therefore, from an educational standpoint, it's a good way to educate the SEO community as to what cloaking or content delivery really is, and to warn them of the problems associated with using the strategy.
One of the more controversial strategies in search engine positioning is cloaking. But, is it a "beauty" or a "beast" in the world of search engines?
What exactly is cloaking?
Let's say that you're presented with a Website and told to get it in the top ten rankings. But, that page is using dynamic content or other technology that makes it impossible to get indexed. Or, maybe the keyword phrase is extremely competitive. In any event, you know it would be next to impossible for you to get top rankings.
One way to solve the problem is to use cloaking. Also known as IP Delivery™ and the Food Script™, cloaking is when different pages are served to the search engines than what your visitors see. In other words, you'll create separate and simple pages for each major engine, taking great care to follow each engine's guidelines. The pages will be simple text without any tactics that can present ranking problems, such as dynamic content, frames, XML, or Java.
When a search engine visits your site, the script detects which engine is visiting by viewing that engine's IP address, and the page created just for that engine is shown. But, when a surfer visits your site, a beautifully designed page is presented that is sure to impress your visitors.
By using this strategy, you are showing the engines simple content-rich pages that they like. And, you're also showing your visitors impressive and professionally-presented pages. The engine sees one page and the visitor see another -- each designed to appease their specific "tastes".
So, the "beauty" of cloaking is that you can have the best of both worlds: the simple pages for the engine, and the impressive pages for your visitors. And, you can create separate pages for each engine, which allows you to use effective techniques for one engine that another engine may not like.
Another reason for using cloaking is to hide your valuable code. Once you've worked hard to get your pages optimized and into the top rankings, the last thing you want is for someone to "steal" your code and boot you out of those rankings.
How widespread is it?
Not all professional search engine optimizers use cloaking. Ginette Degner of Search Engine Services (http://www.searchengineservices.com/) only recommends it to clients who are in highly competitive areas or if they're using technology that would prohibit a good ranking. Ginette says...
"If the site is using technology like XML, JHTM, or catalog delivered pages and there's no way that the engine is going to get past the ? in the URL, that's when I go to the script. I use it when it's the only way it's going to get done."
The big question: How do the engines feel about cloaking?
Google has gone on record as stating that they don't like cloaking. In fact, at the Boston Search Engine Watch conference, the Google rep said, "Don't cloak. Really." He also said that within the next 30 to 60 days, Google will begin cracking down on what it perceives to be spamming.
So, my recommendation as far as Google is concerned is not to cloak at this point in time.
But, what about the other engines? John Heard of Beyond Engineering (http://www.bey.com/) and research specialist for Planet Ocean answers,
"They do not like any promotion techniques that misrepresent the content of the site. That's the number one rule and they will enforce it whenever possible. If you abuse that rule, you do run the risk of getting banned on any search engine, regardless of whether you're using cloaking technology or not."
Heard has used the software at every major search engine in the United States with very good success since 1996.
"None of our clients have ever gotten a site/page/domain banned because of the use of the software. But again, we haven't used misleading pages or content either. If you're not misleading or causing problems for anyone, it appears the engines take a 'don't ask - don't tell' policy with it. There are no automated systems to detect a cloaked page built correctly."
What about spamming?
Since surfers never see the cloaked pages, can you get away with spamming? Answer: No! Because cloaking is an aggressive search engine positioning strategy, it becomes "suspect" to the engines. So, it's imperative that you follow all rules and do nothing that could get you in trouble with the engines.
Therefore, don't use anything that would be considered spamming techniques -- no keyword stuffing, hidden text, or lightning fast META refresh tags.
Spamming techniques may get you in the rankings briefly, but you won't remain. Ginette explains, "Think about the longevity in this business. You want pages that will remain in the index."
Is cloaking an open invitation to steal someone else's page and get their rankings? After all, no one will know, right?
"Copying someone else's page and 'cloaking it' is a big mistake. The company you copied the page from will very likely find that you've copied the page because your pages show up for a "unique" word that was in the page content. If and when they find it, they will likely complain to the search engine and they will very likely ban your site because of it. There are also copyright and trademark issues, etc. So if you use cloaking, don't expect it to work with stolen pages or content. Sooner or later, you will get caught,"
...stresses Heard.
How can you tell if a page has been cloaked?
Compare the title, description, and size of the page to what appears in the search results. That's your first indication. However, that's not foolproof, since many of the engines are now using descriptions taken from the ODP or LookSmart. Heard also indicates that cloaking is often used to play 'headgames' with the competition.
"The way it works is a company utilizing cloaking hides their html code for their top 10 pages but allows the competition to see a page that wouldn't rank -- that uses say, too many keywords. The theory is the competition will analyze this page and use those keyword densities and placement for their pages. More experienced promoters will often go to the trouble of exactly matching file size, titles, and descriptions for their cloaked pages making them very difficult, if not impossible, to detect."
Also, there are programs you can use to see if a page has been cloaked. However, these tools will only work with simple "user-agent" cloaking systems. IP-based cloaking systems, since as Heard's software, IP Delivery (http://www.ip-delivery.com), cannot be viewed with these or any other tool.
Here's an excellent word of advice
Ginette Degner says,
"Instead of spending your valuable time trying to figure out if a page has been cloaked, simply build a better page."
Can you find a cheap or free script somewhere on the Net?
Before you rush off to try to find a free script, keep in mind that it's not the "script" itself that's so valuable-it's the updates to the script. Heard explains,
"Search engines often times change their spiders' IP addresses due to expansion or changes in their systems. If the person is using an industrial strength cloaking software, they depend on these IP addresses to help identify and process the pages correctly for each search engine. If the IP addresses aren't updated often, the user runs the risk of sending the wrong pages to the engines."
An excellent, and inexpensive, cloaking software is fantomas shadowSniper™ which even offers support for international engines.
The future of cloaking?
What trends do we see in the future for cloaking? Is it on the way up or on the way down? Heard answers,
"I believe we're going to see world-wide support for international search engines of importance. Also, we're getting more requests to include features such as delivering different web pages for users in different countries. Another common request is the ability to sense the speed of the user's connection so that cloaking software can deliver the user to a high bandwidth, regular bandwidth, or very low bandwidth (PDA). I expect the cloaking software to morph into something similar to a personalization system that includes search engine robots, shopping bots, etc."
Harness the "beauty" and keep out the "beast"!
When considering whether cloaking is right for you and your Website, remember that cloaking alone won't get you top rankings. You have to do that yourself through a lot of hard work. However, if your Website is utilizing techniques that prevent a top ranking, cloaking may solve your problems.
Cloaking software recommendations
IP-Delivery
fantomas shadowSniper™
Traffic Titan
Robin Nobles teaches 2-, 3-, and 5-day hands-on search engine marketing workshops in locations across the globe (SearchEngineWorkshops.com) as well as online SEO training courses (OnlineWebTraining.com). They have recently launched localized SEO training centers through SearchEngineAcademy.com, and they have expanded their workshops to Europe with Search Engine Workshops UK. They have also opened the first networking community for SEOs, the Workshop Resource Center (WRC).
http://www.searchengineworkshops.com/articles/cloaking.html
One of the more controversial strategies in search engine positioning is cloaking. But, is it a "beauty" or a "beast" in the world of search engines?
What exactly is cloaking?
Let's say that you're presented with a Website and told to get it in the top ten rankings. But, that page is using dynamic content or other technology that makes it impossible to get indexed. Or, maybe the keyword phrase is extremely competitive. In any event, you know it would be next to impossible for you to get top rankings.
One way to solve the problem is to use cloaking. Also known as IP Delivery™ and the Food Script™, cloaking is when different pages are served to the search engines than what your visitors see. In other words, you'll create separate and simple pages for each major engine, taking great care to follow each engine's guidelines. The pages will be simple text without any tactics that can present ranking problems, such as dynamic content, frames, XML, or Java.
When a search engine visits your site, the script detects which engine is visiting by viewing that engine's IP address, and the page created just for that engine is shown. But, when a surfer visits your site, a beautifully designed page is presented that is sure to impress your visitors.
By using this strategy, you are showing the engines simple content-rich pages that they like. And, you're also showing your visitors impressive and professionally-presented pages. The engine sees one page and the visitor see another -- each designed to appease their specific "tastes".
So, the "beauty" of cloaking is that you can have the best of both worlds: the simple pages for the engine, and the impressive pages for your visitors. And, you can create separate pages for each engine, which allows you to use effective techniques for one engine that another engine may not like.
Another reason for using cloaking is to hide your valuable code. Once you've worked hard to get your pages optimized and into the top rankings, the last thing you want is for someone to "steal" your code and boot you out of those rankings.
How widespread is it?
Not all professional search engine optimizers use cloaking. Ginette Degner of Search Engine Services (http://www.searchengineservices.com/) only recommends it to clients who are in highly competitive areas or if they're using technology that would prohibit a good ranking. Ginette says...
"If the site is using technology like XML, JHTM, or catalog delivered pages and there's no way that the engine is going to get past the ? in the URL, that's when I go to the script. I use it when it's the only way it's going to get done."
The big question: How do the engines feel about cloaking?
Google has gone on record as stating that they don't like cloaking. In fact, at the Boston Search Engine Watch conference, the Google rep said, "Don't cloak. Really." He also said that within the next 30 to 60 days, Google will begin cracking down on what it perceives to be spamming.
So, my recommendation as far as Google is concerned is not to cloak at this point in time.
But, what about the other engines? John Heard of Beyond Engineering (http://www.bey.com/) and research specialist for Planet Ocean answers,
"They do not like any promotion techniques that misrepresent the content of the site. That's the number one rule and they will enforce it whenever possible. If you abuse that rule, you do run the risk of getting banned on any search engine, regardless of whether you're using cloaking technology or not."
Heard has used the software at every major search engine in the United States with very good success since 1996.
"None of our clients have ever gotten a site/page/domain banned because of the use of the software. But again, we haven't used misleading pages or content either. If you're not misleading or causing problems for anyone, it appears the engines take a 'don't ask - don't tell' policy with it. There are no automated systems to detect a cloaked page built correctly."
What about spamming?
Since surfers never see the cloaked pages, can you get away with spamming? Answer: No! Because cloaking is an aggressive search engine positioning strategy, it becomes "suspect" to the engines. So, it's imperative that you follow all rules and do nothing that could get you in trouble with the engines.
Therefore, don't use anything that would be considered spamming techniques -- no keyword stuffing, hidden text, or lightning fast META refresh tags.
Spamming techniques may get you in the rankings briefly, but you won't remain. Ginette explains, "Think about the longevity in this business. You want pages that will remain in the index."
Is cloaking an open invitation to steal someone else's page and get their rankings? After all, no one will know, right?
"Copying someone else's page and 'cloaking it' is a big mistake. The company you copied the page from will very likely find that you've copied the page because your pages show up for a "unique" word that was in the page content. If and when they find it, they will likely complain to the search engine and they will very likely ban your site because of it. There are also copyright and trademark issues, etc. So if you use cloaking, don't expect it to work with stolen pages or content. Sooner or later, you will get caught,"
...stresses Heard.
How can you tell if a page has been cloaked?
Compare the title, description, and size of the page to what appears in the search results. That's your first indication. However, that's not foolproof, since many of the engines are now using descriptions taken from the ODP or LookSmart. Heard also indicates that cloaking is often used to play 'headgames' with the competition.
"The way it works is a company utilizing cloaking hides their html code for their top 10 pages but allows the competition to see a page that wouldn't rank -- that uses say, too many keywords. The theory is the competition will analyze this page and use those keyword densities and placement for their pages. More experienced promoters will often go to the trouble of exactly matching file size, titles, and descriptions for their cloaked pages making them very difficult, if not impossible, to detect."
Also, there are programs you can use to see if a page has been cloaked. However, these tools will only work with simple "user-agent" cloaking systems. IP-based cloaking systems, since as Heard's software, IP Delivery (http://www.ip-delivery.com), cannot be viewed with these or any other tool.
Here's an excellent word of advice
Ginette Degner says,
"Instead of spending your valuable time trying to figure out if a page has been cloaked, simply build a better page."
Can you find a cheap or free script somewhere on the Net?
Before you rush off to try to find a free script, keep in mind that it's not the "script" itself that's so valuable-it's the updates to the script. Heard explains,
"Search engines often times change their spiders' IP addresses due to expansion or changes in their systems. If the person is using an industrial strength cloaking software, they depend on these IP addresses to help identify and process the pages correctly for each search engine. If the IP addresses aren't updated often, the user runs the risk of sending the wrong pages to the engines."
An excellent, and inexpensive, cloaking software is fantomas shadowSniper™ which even offers support for international engines.
The future of cloaking?
What trends do we see in the future for cloaking? Is it on the way up or on the way down? Heard answers,
"I believe we're going to see world-wide support for international search engines of importance. Also, we're getting more requests to include features such as delivering different web pages for users in different countries. Another common request is the ability to sense the speed of the user's connection so that cloaking software can deliver the user to a high bandwidth, regular bandwidth, or very low bandwidth (PDA). I expect the cloaking software to morph into something similar to a personalization system that includes search engine robots, shopping bots, etc."
Harness the "beauty" and keep out the "beast"!
When considering whether cloaking is right for you and your Website, remember that cloaking alone won't get you top rankings. You have to do that yourself through a lot of hard work. However, if your Website is utilizing techniques that prevent a top ranking, cloaking may solve your problems.
Cloaking software recommendations
IP-Delivery
fantomas shadowSniper™
Traffic Titan
Robin Nobles teaches 2-, 3-, and 5-day hands-on search engine marketing workshops in locations across the globe (SearchEngineWorkshops.com) as well as online SEO training courses (OnlineWebTraining.com). They have recently launched localized SEO training centers through SearchEngineAcademy.com, and they have expanded their workshops to Europe with Search Engine Workshops UK. They have also opened the first networking community for SEOs, the Workshop Resource Center (WRC).
http://www.searchengineworkshops.com/articles/cloaking.html
Analyzing Your Traffic to Measure Your Success
Congratulations! Your hard work and persistence in optimizing your pages have resulted in a dramatic increase in traffic to your site, which is just what you wanted.
But, are you analyzing that traffic and using it to strengthen your site? Or, are you quickly glancing at your log files every week or so to see how much traffic you're getting, and letting it go at that?
Before we go on, let's define exactly what log files are.
When someone visits your website, server software counts and tracks, i.e. "logs", that visit. It also keeps a record of it for a certain period of time. Part of the saved information is called a referrer log.
Referrer logs can help you analyze the traffic to your site. Though each referrer log program provides slightly different data, some of the more common information includes:
But, are you analyzing that traffic and using it to strengthen your site? Or, are you quickly glancing at your log files every week or so to see how much traffic you're getting, and letting it go at that?
Before we go on, let's define exactly what log files are.
When someone visits your website, server software counts and tracks, i.e. "logs", that visit. It also keeps a record of it for a certain period of time. Part of the saved information is called a referrer log.
Referrer logs can help you analyze the traffic to your site. Though each referrer log program provides slightly different data, some of the more common information includes:
- Which engines have sent you traffic;
- What keywords were used to find your site;
- Which pages were accessed the most or the least;
- Who are the visiting spiders;
- User profile by region;
- Average length of time someone remains on your site;
- Average number of user sessions or page views per day;
- Top entry and exit pages;
- Top referring sites;
- Summary of activity by day;
- Server errors;
- Bandwidth, which is the measure (in kilobytes of data transferred) of the traffic on the site; and,
- Type of technology used by your visitors.
But why is it so important to study your traffic? Isn't it enough to know that your traffic is increasing, without having to spend valuable time analyzing it?
Think about it this way. If you know which engines are sending you the most traffic, you can boost your optimization strategies for those engines by creating additional pages for other relevant keyword phrases. This could increase your traffic even more.
Or, if you know that you're not getting any traffic at all from a particular engine, you'll be able to consider strategies for findability on that engine.
Through your referrer logs, you'll probably discover that you're getting found through keyword phrases that you haven't even considered before. In that case, you certainly don't want to change those pages and lose the traffic. By the same token, if you're getting found under a keyword phrase in one engine, wouldn't it be worth creating pages for the other engines for that same keyword phrase to see if you can bring in some additional traffic?
You can also find out through which pages you are losing visitors. This begs the questions...why are you losing visitors? ...and what changes can you make to keep them from leaving?
Simply put, a referrer log can give you an enormous amount of information and can serve as a road map for future changes to your site.
So, how can you view your referrer logs?
Ask your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to provide referrer logs in extended log format. If they don't provide referrer logs, you're missing out on some extremely valuable information about your web site. You may even want to consider changing ISP's.
However, even if your provider captures referrer information, you may want to get a program to read it, since the raw data can be a little cumbersome to analyze.
Here's an example of such an entry:
216.219.177.29 - - [15/May/2000:23:03:36 -0800] "GET /index.htm HTTP/1.0" 200 3956 "http://www.altavista.digital.com/cgi- bin/query? pg=aq&text=yes&d0=1%2fnov %2f99&q=email+marketing%2a +AND+email marketing%2a&stq=30" "Mozilla/2.0 (compatible; MSIE 4.0; SK; Windows 98)"
Not exactly easy reading, is it?
However, through the above entry, you can learn:
- The IP address of your visitor -- 216.219.177.29
- The date and time of the visit -- [15/May/2000:23:03:36 -0800]
- The first file requested -- "GET /index.htm HTTP/1.0"
- The fact that the request was completed -- 200
- The number of bytes that were transferred -- 3956
- Where your visitor came from and the keywords used to find your site -- "http://www.altavista.digital.com/cgi-bin/query? pg=aq&text=yes&d0=1%2fnov %2f99&q=email+marketing%2a +AND+email marketing%2a&stq=30"
- Browser and operating system of the visitor -- "Mozilla/2.0 (compatible; MSIE 4.0; SK; Windows 98)"
Though the information in the raw data provides invaluable information to you, you can easily see that it requires a little effort to analyze it yourself.
If you're serious about analyzing your traffic, consider obtaining a quality log analysis software program. Examples of programs are listed at the bottom of this article.
When analyzing your referrer log information, what should you look for?
- Number of page views per day
Page views (or page impressions) refer to how many "hits" your site has had to HTML pages only. A hit is an action on a web page, such as when a user views a web page.
- Number of user sessions per day
User session refers to the activity of one visitor to a web site.
- How long users are staying on your pages
How long did the users stay at your website? Are they finding what they're looking for, or are they getting frustrated and leaving?
If visitors are immediately clicking out of your site, maybe it's time to set up an onsite search engine. After all, once you get visitors to your site, you want them to be able to find what they're looking for.
Ginette Degner, Professional Optimizer with SearchEngineServices.com, adds,
"The time users spend at a site tells me if they are actually reading the site or just clicking in only to leave immediately. Perhaps I am not conveying the purpose of the site well enough to make them stay. Or, I am listed under the wrong phrases. If I am buying traffic from GoTo or another engine, I like to know if the words I chose are valuable to me or just a waste."
- Most requested and least requested pages
Degner further explains,
"Which page is attracting the most visits and how long are they there? This helps me decide what areas of a site need to be expanded upon and what areas can be dropped. For an example with a sports picks site, we found that the least visited page was the record the handicapper used to show everyone his win/lose ratio for picks and the chat room. So we dropped the page and spent the programming money on live scores and a sports news page."
- Top entry pages
How are people first coming in to your site? Which pages are bringing you the most traffic? What about some of your other pages? What can you do to make them "top entry pages" too?
- Top exit pages
Exit pages are another very important area of a log file, according to Degner. She goes on to ask and then elaborates on the answers...
"Where are they leaving? What off site links are they clicking on the most? If this is an intro page or another sub page that is a doorway, I may need to get rid of it or use a redirect. It tells me where I am losing visitors."
"As an example, a client insisted upon having a second intro page that played their radio commercial, so you clicked on the index page to enter and were stuck in a second media-enhanced page. We could see half of our traffic leaving right there and going no further into the site, which was a really big clue that it was a turn off to the surfing public."
"A lesson to corporate sites - a website is the wrong place to be vain. Serve up your product or service immediately or pay the price with an impatient dotCom'r."
"On other sites, we have discovered that a screen shots page made a huge difference in converting sales, and that was where the most orders came from (exit link was the order link)."
- Single access pages
Which pages are being viewed by themselves, where visitors aren't even clicking to go to another page? Again, look at these pages carefully to see what you can provide on the page to keep up the interest of your visitors. You're losing them, and you need to figure out why.
- Errors, such as 404 pages
If your visitors encounter too many error messages when visiting your website, they'll assume that you don't do your "house cleaning," and the professional image of your site will plummet several notches.
- Most active countries
If you want a corner of the international market, study this data carefully. How many user sessions are being generated for each country that's important to your business? How you can beef up efforts to improve those numbers? Are you creating highly targeted information pages for your international keywords?
- Top referring sites and URLs
- Top referring search engines
Do you have some top ranking pages in certain search engines, but you're not seeing coinciding traffic through those engines? If so, you may need to rethink your keyword strategy, because a truckload of #1's won't do you any good if traffic doesn't follow.
- Keywords that searchers are using to find your site
If you're being found under a particular keyword in one engine but not another, boost efforts in the other search engine and try to bring in more traffic. Also, study this section closely for any holes in your keyword-thinking strategies.
Remember that search engine positioning strategies begin with a simple keyword or keyword phrase. If you're having problems finding a keyword phrase that will bring you more traffic, visit WordSpot.com and sign up for their free trial service, or WordTracker, which also has a free service. Also most search engines have "related search" results that can give you some clues, don't over look that information.
- Browsers used by your visitors
Check this section periodically to make sure that the technology offered at your website can be used by the majority of your visitors. In other words, if many of your visitors are accessing the web using older browsers, you will want to be careful about using technology that will prevent them from fully utilizing your website.
- Visiting spiders
Which search engine spiders have visited your site recently? After submitting your pages to the engines, be sure to monitor this section closely for spider activity.
What do the experts feel are the most valuable parts of a referrer log?
Charlie Morris, Managing Editor of Web Developer's Journal, -- http://wdvl.internet.com/Internet/Management -- looks at the list of most popular pages first.
"This is something that's easy to act on - whatever content is most popular, simply produce more of the same sort of thing. The list of 404s should also be one of the first sections to look at, as sometimes (though not always) it's easy to find and fix these errors, greatly improving short- term traffic and your long-term reputation."
"The most important thing of all, however, is simply to compare a site's traffic from month to month, to measure how well your promotional efforts are working. It's surprising how many sites don't do this carefully."
To Rocky Rawstern, Professional Optimizer with SeventhWave.com, the most important areas of the referrer log are
"specific search strings (what the browser was looking for), search engine traffic counts, and finding keywords that are hit but aren't on our list to work on. We will work harder on a search engine that we aren't getting much traffic from."
The spider/bot sections are the most valuable areas of a log file to Ginette Degner. "When did they spider our site and how many pages? Which engines are sending me the most traffic? What words or phrases are being used consistently? What exact phrases were used to get to my site? All of this information assists me with positioning. I can find the strengths and weaknesses of a website and exploit the strengths and work to fix the areas that are lacking."
Excellent closing advice for positioners
Ginette Degner says,
"Keep track of when a spider hits your site and how deep and compare it to the dates you submit and the dates the pages actually appear in the index. You will start to see a pattern emerge with each engine. Yes, there are hiccups, but it will help you time your submissions, and when a client asks you when they can expect to see results, you can answer intelligently."
"When you are stumped as to why none of the words you optimized for are hitting, look at the logs. Use the words you see actually hitting with the search engines in your reporting files (Top Dog or WebPosition Gold). It can open your eyes and help you find more avenues of traffic for your client."
"At the very least, you can show some positions which will make a client more comfortable because you are showing they are getting traffic from the engines. This helps immensely when you hear 'I do not have any sales' from a client. You can steer the client to rethink their approach or sales copy."
So, take the time to analyze your traffic, and then put that valuable information to work on your website and reap the benefits of even more traffic!
http://www.searchengineworkshops.com/articles/traffic.html
Thursday, June 7, 2007
SEO Certification - Has your SEO Team been properly trained?
Here is a scary question that may cause some upset, but it is still an important question that you should ask before hiring anyone who offers big promises about getting your Web site ranked for high visibility. Have you ever thought about asking to see the qualifications of your SEO team? Is there any evidence that they have ever been structurally trained in the skills they claim to have? SEO certification is two-fold.
1. Proper training in the full scope of search engine marketing skills and influences
followed by...
2. An examination to determine that the student is found to be competent in those skills and worthy of certification.
The question you might want to ask in performing due diligence is this:
"Tell me about where you were trained in search engine marketing skills and do you hold a certification of skills to show that you are up to date and competent for the current year?"
Okay, so what's so hard about asking this question? Don't be surprised if you catch a few people unawares.
It sounds like an easy enough question, but you might be surprised to find out how many people out there are talking the SEO talk, but have actually never been structurally educated or had any professionally training at all.
One common response is, "Oh, I am "self taught" and have known all about how to submit to search engines for years." A reply like this needs further questioning because anyone who thinks that top Web visibility comes from "submissions" is already considerably shy of understanding on how search engine marketing works. The fallacy of "submitting to thousands of search engines" to increase your traffic is one of the oldest cons that is still being practiced.
Or how about reply.."Sure, our people know all about how to work with Meta tags." Okay, but do they know that Meta tags are probably the least important influence in over 100 other elements that go into building true relevancy.
Also be aware that someone who answers by saying "We can guarantee to get you listed with every search engine out there including Google, MSN and Yahoo!" The catch here is of course anyone can get you "listed" but a reply like this does not say where you will be listed.
I spoke to someone using this ploy to take as much as $60,000 from a company but never had any intention or concern with getting the company any visibility. In the end of our conversation, I even got him to admit it to me. As it turns out, this individual did not even believe it was possible to get a top 10 ranking himself, yet he was taking the customer's money.
What's the scoop these days on SEO certification and how can you make an educated decision on hiring SEO help?
SEO certification - here are a few other tips to consider when looking for qualified SEO talent:
* Be extremely cautious of anyone who places great emphasis on "submissions." They've never been trained and do not understand search engine marketing if they place a lot of emphasis on submission services. Submitting to a "Directory" is still important, but there are good reasons why, you should NOT submit to search engines.
* Ask outright to see the individuals "SEO certification of skills." If they have one, take a good look at the company that delivered their certification training. Do a search to see if that training company's Web site can be found in top results for competitive SEO training phrases. For example if the training company only shows up in PPC advertising, how could they possibly be training others in gaining visibility in the organic results, if they cannot achieve it for themselves. The same with any company that uses unsolicited e-mail marketing to push their services. Think about it....if they were up to date in their skills, they would not be resorting to Spamming you.
* Beware of anyone who "guarantees" a number one ranking in Google or other search engines. These offers are designed to "look safe" and "sound safe" so that you * think* you cannot possibly lose out. A great deal of confidence is bolstered using superlative laden language that convinces you that there is no possible way you can lose. We have seen many people come to study in class to build genuine SEO and SEM skills (unfortunately after they trusted their Web site to the wrong people.) In some case their sites had been banned and then we've had to help them clean up the mess to get back into the search engine's good graces.
* Watch for hints in dialogue when someone speaks of knowing all the "tricks" to "outsmart the search engines."
SEO Professionals do not "outsmart" or "trick" the search engines at all. But they've been trained in how to create truly relevant, high quality content that ranks based on developing useful pages that deliver high value to the visitor and satisfy the reason why the visitor searched in the first place. Many bits of dialogue are quite telling, so listen carefully when someone is describing there services to you.
* As strange as it sounds, this industry is not JUST about top rankings. Ultimately, the goal is to gain top rankings but also you must understand how to compel visitors to respond. It's only when these two elements together are working that you'll produce your ultimate objective....to make sales, or earn money and profit from your Web site.
Even if your objective is not to make sales, you'll still need to be easily found and you'll need to compel your visitor to take some kind of action to fulfill whatever objective you have.
* Ask the company you are considering for hire, to provide you with a few business referrals where you can obtain a phone number and actually speak to a few of their clients. This can be someone who is in a different type of business and it can also be someone who can answer your questions in general.
Questions you might ask of their client: 1) In terms of percentage, how much has your company profited by using this service? 2) Are there any pages on your site that you wish might perform better? 3) Would you say that these SEO services have exceeded your original expectations? These types of questions will encourage the referral to reflect on their relationship while not sounding too threatening or prying.
* Don't feel that you literally have to become an SEO expert in order to get your Web site performing well. If you have no interest in building the skills, you can still get a solid education in all of the principles and techniques that will help you easily identify truth from error. This education can literally save you thousands of wasted dollars and get your project launched correctly the FIRST time.
* Watch out for so called "training companies" that may have a secondary agenda (other than teaching you the genuine SEO skills manually.) There are companies that say they will teach you the skills, but in the end, they are hoping to make learning "seem more difficult" in hopes of having you end up hiring THEM to do the work. Some schools give you some general knowledge but in the end, they want you to buy their special SEO tools like an up-sell.
What else can you watch for in "SEO Certification" values offered by various training companies?
* Find out if the SEO training company recognized by any established educational institutions?
For example, some training companies may be able to offer University CEUs (Continuing Education Units.)
This means that at least a University or governing authority has examined the curriculum and exams in detail and the company has had to comply to meet a certain standard in order for the University to stand behind them.
* Have a look at the SEO training company to see if they have ever delivered any training on behalf of one of the major search engines? Not too many training organizations have been approached or selected to deliver educational seminars on behalf of a major search engine, but there are some.
* Find out how long the SEO training company has been in business?
One of the very first and oldest SEO certification companies on the Internet is Online Web Training who, with their instructor led classes allows for a "certification of skills" document to be issued attesting to the truth that the individual has been instructed in either Basic SEO or Advanced SEO skills under the guidance of an instructor and then is examined and found to be competent in understanding the information and demonstrating the skills by passing an exam.
* Does the training organization offer an annual re-certification program to ensure that the SEO keeps their skills right up to date? SEO skills are only effective as long as they are right up to date. If the service you are considering for hire only has a certification dated for 2006 or earlier, just be mindful that a lot of changes happen regularly in this industry.
* Does the SEO training organization have a history of successful students that can demonstrate how their skills have impacted their Web site business or client's business?
* Does the SEO training company offer extended "mentoring programs for ongoing support."
* Does the SEO training company have convenient training locations on a localized level. The value of certification training that is delivered face to face and in person by a certified instructor, with hands-on instruction makes for the very best dynamics in SEO skill building, knowledge retention and includes mentoring right in a local community with no need to travel.
In summary:
The public has a right to know that it is possible to find and hire SEO professionals who not only have been structurally trained and certified in their SEO skills but, they'll want qualified talent that cares enough to keep their skills updated at least on a yearly basis.
Before you make your buying decision or enter into any agreement, it is up to you use wisdom and perform some due diligence to ensure that the SEO/SEM team you hire has got what it takes. Not just to improve your rankings, but to improve your conversions and improve your bottom line too.
I expect to hear some complaints about this article, from those who have never had any training before (there's a lot of them out there that like to use SEO as a buzz word.) But it is also a "heads up" and an opportunity to those who understand what is happening and want to prepare for it now.
SEO certification as a topic is here to stay and more and more we will see the public not jumping into the old time mistakes as they become more aware, more educated and execute much better judgment. The future belongs to the SEOs who build a solid, long term business and keep themselves up to date. The prize will be having clients that will stay with you for your whole life, because of the difference you make to their business. That's no different than any other real world business and the way it should be.
A smart, modern SEO service that has the goal of building "long term business relationships" and "clients for life" takes time to ensure they first have skilled people in place that can to genuinely help their future clients before taking any client's money. Business is about making money, but life is about helping people. If you focus on equipping yourself to "help people first" you'll never need to worry about making money.
Would you like a Free SEO Tip of the day sent to you each and every day by e-mail? It's free!
http://www.searchengineworkshops.com/articles/seo-certification-tips.html
1. Proper training in the full scope of search engine marketing skills and influences
followed by...
2. An examination to determine that the student is found to be competent in those skills and worthy of certification.
The question you might want to ask in performing due diligence is this:
"Tell me about where you were trained in search engine marketing skills and do you hold a certification of skills to show that you are up to date and competent for the current year?"
Okay, so what's so hard about asking this question? Don't be surprised if you catch a few people unawares.
It sounds like an easy enough question, but you might be surprised to find out how many people out there are talking the SEO talk, but have actually never been structurally educated or had any professionally training at all.
One common response is, "Oh, I am "self taught" and have known all about how to submit to search engines for years." A reply like this needs further questioning because anyone who thinks that top Web visibility comes from "submissions" is already considerably shy of understanding on how search engine marketing works. The fallacy of "submitting to thousands of search engines" to increase your traffic is one of the oldest cons that is still being practiced.
Or how about reply.."Sure, our people know all about how to work with Meta tags." Okay, but do they know that Meta tags are probably the least important influence in over 100 other elements that go into building true relevancy.
Also be aware that someone who answers by saying "We can guarantee to get you listed with every search engine out there including Google, MSN and Yahoo!" The catch here is of course anyone can get you "listed" but a reply like this does not say where you will be listed.
I spoke to someone using this ploy to take as much as $60,000 from a company but never had any intention or concern with getting the company any visibility. In the end of our conversation, I even got him to admit it to me. As it turns out, this individual did not even believe it was possible to get a top 10 ranking himself, yet he was taking the customer's money.
What's the scoop these days on SEO certification and how can you make an educated decision on hiring SEO help?
SEO certification - here are a few other tips to consider when looking for qualified SEO talent:
* Be extremely cautious of anyone who places great emphasis on "submissions." They've never been trained and do not understand search engine marketing if they place a lot of emphasis on submission services. Submitting to a "Directory" is still important, but there are good reasons why, you should NOT submit to search engines.
* Ask outright to see the individuals "SEO certification of skills." If they have one, take a good look at the company that delivered their certification training. Do a search to see if that training company's Web site can be found in top results for competitive SEO training phrases. For example if the training company only shows up in PPC advertising, how could they possibly be training others in gaining visibility in the organic results, if they cannot achieve it for themselves. The same with any company that uses unsolicited e-mail marketing to push their services. Think about it....if they were up to date in their skills, they would not be resorting to Spamming you.
* Beware of anyone who "guarantees" a number one ranking in Google or other search engines. These offers are designed to "look safe" and "sound safe" so that you * think* you cannot possibly lose out. A great deal of confidence is bolstered using superlative laden language that convinces you that there is no possible way you can lose. We have seen many people come to study in class to build genuine SEO and SEM skills (unfortunately after they trusted their Web site to the wrong people.) In some case their sites had been banned and then we've had to help them clean up the mess to get back into the search engine's good graces.
* Watch for hints in dialogue when someone speaks of knowing all the "tricks" to "outsmart the search engines."
SEO Professionals do not "outsmart" or "trick" the search engines at all. But they've been trained in how to create truly relevant, high quality content that ranks based on developing useful pages that deliver high value to the visitor and satisfy the reason why the visitor searched in the first place. Many bits of dialogue are quite telling, so listen carefully when someone is describing there services to you.
* As strange as it sounds, this industry is not JUST about top rankings. Ultimately, the goal is to gain top rankings but also you must understand how to compel visitors to respond. It's only when these two elements together are working that you'll produce your ultimate objective....to make sales, or earn money and profit from your Web site.
Even if your objective is not to make sales, you'll still need to be easily found and you'll need to compel your visitor to take some kind of action to fulfill whatever objective you have.
* Ask the company you are considering for hire, to provide you with a few business referrals where you can obtain a phone number and actually speak to a few of their clients. This can be someone who is in a different type of business and it can also be someone who can answer your questions in general.
Questions you might ask of their client: 1) In terms of percentage, how much has your company profited by using this service? 2) Are there any pages on your site that you wish might perform better? 3) Would you say that these SEO services have exceeded your original expectations? These types of questions will encourage the referral to reflect on their relationship while not sounding too threatening or prying.
* Don't feel that you literally have to become an SEO expert in order to get your Web site performing well. If you have no interest in building the skills, you can still get a solid education in all of the principles and techniques that will help you easily identify truth from error. This education can literally save you thousands of wasted dollars and get your project launched correctly the FIRST time.
* Watch out for so called "training companies" that may have a secondary agenda (other than teaching you the genuine SEO skills manually.) There are companies that say they will teach you the skills, but in the end, they are hoping to make learning "seem more difficult" in hopes of having you end up hiring THEM to do the work. Some schools give you some general knowledge but in the end, they want you to buy their special SEO tools like an up-sell.
What else can you watch for in "SEO Certification" values offered by various training companies?
* Find out if the SEO training company recognized by any established educational institutions?
For example, some training companies may be able to offer University CEUs (Continuing Education Units.)
This means that at least a University or governing authority has examined the curriculum and exams in detail and the company has had to comply to meet a certain standard in order for the University to stand behind them.
* Have a look at the SEO training company to see if they have ever delivered any training on behalf of one of the major search engines? Not too many training organizations have been approached or selected to deliver educational seminars on behalf of a major search engine, but there are some.
* Find out how long the SEO training company has been in business?
One of the very first and oldest SEO certification companies on the Internet is Online Web Training who, with their instructor led classes allows for a "certification of skills" document to be issued attesting to the truth that the individual has been instructed in either Basic SEO or Advanced SEO skills under the guidance of an instructor and then is examined and found to be competent in understanding the information and demonstrating the skills by passing an exam.
* Does the training organization offer an annual re-certification program to ensure that the SEO keeps their skills right up to date? SEO skills are only effective as long as they are right up to date. If the service you are considering for hire only has a certification dated for 2006 or earlier, just be mindful that a lot of changes happen regularly in this industry.
* Does the SEO training organization have a history of successful students that can demonstrate how their skills have impacted their Web site business or client's business?
* Does the SEO training company offer extended "mentoring programs for ongoing support."
* Does the SEO training company have convenient training locations on a localized level. The value of certification training that is delivered face to face and in person by a certified instructor, with hands-on instruction makes for the very best dynamics in SEO skill building, knowledge retention and includes mentoring right in a local community with no need to travel.
In summary:
The public has a right to know that it is possible to find and hire SEO professionals who not only have been structurally trained and certified in their SEO skills but, they'll want qualified talent that cares enough to keep their skills updated at least on a yearly basis.
Before you make your buying decision or enter into any agreement, it is up to you use wisdom and perform some due diligence to ensure that the SEO/SEM team you hire has got what it takes. Not just to improve your rankings, but to improve your conversions and improve your bottom line too.
I expect to hear some complaints about this article, from those who have never had any training before (there's a lot of them out there that like to use SEO as a buzz word.) But it is also a "heads up" and an opportunity to those who understand what is happening and want to prepare for it now.
SEO certification as a topic is here to stay and more and more we will see the public not jumping into the old time mistakes as they become more aware, more educated and execute much better judgment. The future belongs to the SEOs who build a solid, long term business and keep themselves up to date. The prize will be having clients that will stay with you for your whole life, because of the difference you make to their business. That's no different than any other real world business and the way it should be.
A smart, modern SEO service that has the goal of building "long term business relationships" and "clients for life" takes time to ensure they first have skilled people in place that can to genuinely help their future clients before taking any client's money. Business is about making money, but life is about helping people. If you focus on equipping yourself to "help people first" you'll never need to worry about making money.
Would you like a Free SEO Tip of the day sent to you each and every day by e-mail? It's free!
http://www.searchengineworkshops.com/articles/seo-certification-tips.html
5 Simple Ways To attract new visitors by shifting Your Web topic focus.
Most SEO professionals learn about the value of writing "keyword rich" content that usefully relates to their product or service that they're offering online. If you sell insurance of some type you probably have thought of keyword phrases related to "insurance quotes." If you sell health products you have probably thought about attracting the more health conscious crowd to your Web site with vitamin or supplement related keyword phrases.
But here is a question....
How many of us really learn to explore the "search interests" of entirely new audiences for our Web site?
Okay, now think about "topic interests" which compliment your specific product or service, you may have a few ideas that come to mind but eventually you may feel the challenge. A certain feeling of limitation. Maybe you think that there are no other possibilities but let's talk about it for a bit.
For many folks here is what the main challenge is. It is in seeing beyond the product or service we are trying to offer and expanding our scope of research beyond our own objectives for our Web site. If I sell insurance, what else is there beside "insurance quotes?"
The challenge for most of us is that we can't "shift our focus" to something that does not seem to immediately serve our interest. If it does not make sense and tie in directly with the sales objectives for our Web site, why even bother exploring it, right?
Think about this. Many of us only tend to focus on the audience that we are "in the habit of serving" from recent and past experiences.
The truth is that we often may not give all future potential prospects our full availability (or visibility) because of the very narrow focus that our recent experience tends to limit us to. Now think about this for just a minute or two.
Do you just have one specific audience? There may be some who feel they have a product that only services one audience. In fact I know some who may be convinced of it. But with a little brainstorming and research, you can explore and find entirely new audiences that need your product or services. There are new audiences out there right now that are searching for your solution, but the only trouble is, you are not making it very easy for them to find you because the focus of your Web content may be far too narrow.
I'll bet that after reading this article you'll begin to explore new horizons. At least I hope you find it helpful. I'm going to share with you 5 simple tips to help you shift your focus and find multiple new audiences for your products or services online.
1. Shift your focus by stopping the hunt for "keywords" and start thinking about "behaviors."
Realize that people are using the Internet to perform research on topics that are "important to them" and "based on the conditions and circumstances in their lives." Stop thinking so mechanically about "what keywords people are putting into that search box in Google" and begin to understand that it is the conditions in the searchers life that are dictating how the searcher is using the Internet. It is fascinating research!
For Insurance Web sites - Perhaps all you've been thinking of is trying to optimize for a phrase like "insurance quotes."
Instead, you consider exploring other terms like VIN (Vehicle Identification Numbers) and ask yourself how this might fit into your Web. Ask yourself "Is it not likely, that people searching for a VIN number, probably own a vehicle?" Then why not create a helpful database to identify where those VIN numbers are located on various vehicles. (This is just meant to be a simple example, there are many other behaviors you can learn from.) But serve the needs of the searcher first and in the meantime, if they want an insurance quote, they can request it with the right type of compelling ad copy contained in the site. Trust me it works. Focus on satisfying the searchers needs before your own objective. That can be hard to do if you don't perform excellent research and stop relying on guess work.
For Travel Web sites - Perhaps you've continually focused on keyword phrases involving "travel" or "cheap airfares." You think to yourself that this is all there is. Expand you scope of research and begin to explore other topics and alternatives that can bring you a whole new world of travelers (who are not necessarily looking for the cheapest flights.) What else might they be looking for? Think behavior. One of the things travelers might like to search for are "Things to do in Toronto" or Things to do in Alaska or wherever their destination is. They might be looking for directions or maps or even reviews on entertainment. By creating alternatively focused content that is researched and well written, you will attract people to your travel center that you would otherwise completely miss.
For Solutions based Web sites that are selling a product or service. If you selling an SEO tool that is made for the Webmaster community, that's great. But what about the other businesses that could benefit from your tool? You won't attract them with a bunch of SEO related jargon. Let's say you are trying to attract people to your health product? Okay, so it's a new vitamin supplement that helps provide some kind of solution (let's say it helps fight off symptoms of depression.) Is your only buying audience the "heath food" conscious crowd? Not at all. You might want to explore the search habits of those who are going through some trauma in their life. Mortgage foreclosure, relationship breakups or even those who have recently been downsized from their job. Don't you think these people might have the use for a health product that helps fight depression?
If you are a Real Estate agent who is convinced that the only valuable search terms that are available are MLS Listings or other industry related jargon, listed to this short interview on "Keyword Forensics" which includes many tips for Real Estate Agents.
There are nearly always more than one audience for your product or service or information. Sometimes multiple audiences that could benefit from what you have to offer. Want to read more about expanding your research capabilities based on user search behavior? Read this article by Robin Nobles called: An Ingenious Way to Use Wordtracker that is easier too.
2. Shift your focus by exploring complimentary products and services through affiliate marketing.
If you are already attracting a specific type of visitor to your Web site to purchase your product or service, then the competition may not always be your enemy. Watch for products and services that are complimentary to what you offer through a generous affiliate program.
Did you know you can be earning additional income streams by simple adding useful content and links to your Web site? You promote complimentary products in exchange for an affiliate commission.
Check out the Kolimbo Network. Its free and it connects you with literally hundreds of merchants who are willing to send you a check for promoting their products and services.
3. Shift your focus by learning to explore hot topics of interest through Wordtracker.com
Did you know that you can use Wordtracker as your window on the world of search behavior? I'll keep this short.
It's much more than keyword research. Its about exploring the hidden evidence that 99% of most Webmasters miss. Be sure to read up on our various free Wordtracker articles here. Listen to a few Wordtracker Magic audio tips here.
4. Shift your focus in creating a brand new Blog on a specific topic.
Blogs are nearly like living breathing entities with bloggers discussing every topic under the sun. Have you thought about starting your own blog and getting some discussion going. Choose a topic based on an interest you have and on a topic that has some purpose. Ideally you want to Blog about a topic that you have some experience in and are knowledgeable about. Choose a topic that you feel you have some original views about. But then shift the focus to make it interesting and different than what your competitors are doing. Read the article Blogs with a purpose.
5. Learn how to explore peoples interests and then try shifting the focus of your message to an opposite approach.
One of the easiest ways to do this is to always consider taking a reverse approach or a look at an old topic through a new angle or view. People are interested in a wide array of topics but don't just explore the obvious ones. Always see if a reverse spin might make a better story or deliver a truth that people have not considered before.
What are topics of interest? It might be fashion, crafts, sports, classic movies, biographies around someone's life. It might be something around reading interests or writing interests or perhaps the study of electronics or something like singing, movie direction or piloting an aircraft. Whatever your topic of interest, try to apply a reverse approach to see if it makes better reading or will attract that new audience.
If you are writing content on the top tips for successful Bass fishing, what would happen if instead, you identified and wrote about the 10 most common mistakes made by new Bass fisherman. If you are writing content on any subject always consider looking at the possibilities of writing from either an opposite or a different point of view to deliver your message.
In summary:
Learning to shift your focus from the natural approach to provide content with a slightly different focus will also attract a slightly different audience. Maybe an entirely new audience or several new audiences that will ultimately translate into new business for you.
But it will never happen unless you provide content that reaches beyond your own selling objectives or your Web site's initial reason for existing. You have to be willing to explore data and consider taking an entirely new creative shift from time to time which usually means accurately understanding what your marketplace is doing. Not by guessing but through genuine research of accurate data. Of course none of us ever say that we are guessing, but that is exactly what you are doing when you let your focus remain limited to the one audience that we are " in the habit of serving" from our past experience instead of exploring the wealth of data and research intelligence that is available to us today.
Be encouraged and remember that IF your Web site is a great success.....keep doing what you are doing.
But if you are not experiencing success, it may be time to try a whole new approach.
If you want to experience top visibility on the major search engines, higher conversion ratios with fresh multiple new audiences, we teach the full scope of SEO skills at our hands-on SEO Mastery Workshop and Mentoring program.
Future dates and locations are here.
Recent student success stories and comments are here.
About John Alexander
John Alexander is Co-director of Training at Search Engine Workshops offering live, SEO Workshops with his partner SEO educator Robin Nobles, author of the very first comprehensive online search engine marketing courses. John is author of an e-book called Wordtracker Magic and has taught SEO skills to people from 87 different countries world wide. John's articles can be read in publications like REALTOR Magazine, Search Engine Guide, WEBpro News and many others.
But here is a question....
How many of us really learn to explore the "search interests" of entirely new audiences for our Web site?
Okay, now think about "topic interests" which compliment your specific product or service, you may have a few ideas that come to mind but eventually you may feel the challenge. A certain feeling of limitation. Maybe you think that there are no other possibilities but let's talk about it for a bit.
For many folks here is what the main challenge is. It is in seeing beyond the product or service we are trying to offer and expanding our scope of research beyond our own objectives for our Web site. If I sell insurance, what else is there beside "insurance quotes?"
The challenge for most of us is that we can't "shift our focus" to something that does not seem to immediately serve our interest. If it does not make sense and tie in directly with the sales objectives for our Web site, why even bother exploring it, right?
Think about this. Many of us only tend to focus on the audience that we are "in the habit of serving" from recent and past experiences.
The truth is that we often may not give all future potential prospects our full availability (or visibility) because of the very narrow focus that our recent experience tends to limit us to. Now think about this for just a minute or two.
Do you just have one specific audience? There may be some who feel they have a product that only services one audience. In fact I know some who may be convinced of it. But with a little brainstorming and research, you can explore and find entirely new audiences that need your product or services. There are new audiences out there right now that are searching for your solution, but the only trouble is, you are not making it very easy for them to find you because the focus of your Web content may be far too narrow.
I'll bet that after reading this article you'll begin to explore new horizons. At least I hope you find it helpful. I'm going to share with you 5 simple tips to help you shift your focus and find multiple new audiences for your products or services online.
1. Shift your focus by stopping the hunt for "keywords" and start thinking about "behaviors."
Realize that people are using the Internet to perform research on topics that are "important to them" and "based on the conditions and circumstances in their lives." Stop thinking so mechanically about "what keywords people are putting into that search box in Google" and begin to understand that it is the conditions in the searchers life that are dictating how the searcher is using the Internet. It is fascinating research!
For Insurance Web sites - Perhaps all you've been thinking of is trying to optimize for a phrase like "insurance quotes."
Instead, you consider exploring other terms like VIN (Vehicle Identification Numbers) and ask yourself how this might fit into your Web. Ask yourself "Is it not likely, that people searching for a VIN number, probably own a vehicle?" Then why not create a helpful database to identify where those VIN numbers are located on various vehicles. (This is just meant to be a simple example, there are many other behaviors you can learn from.) But serve the needs of the searcher first and in the meantime, if they want an insurance quote, they can request it with the right type of compelling ad copy contained in the site. Trust me it works. Focus on satisfying the searchers needs before your own objective. That can be hard to do if you don't perform excellent research and stop relying on guess work.
For Travel Web sites - Perhaps you've continually focused on keyword phrases involving "travel" or "cheap airfares." You think to yourself that this is all there is. Expand you scope of research and begin to explore other topics and alternatives that can bring you a whole new world of travelers (who are not necessarily looking for the cheapest flights.) What else might they be looking for? Think behavior. One of the things travelers might like to search for are "Things to do in Toronto" or Things to do in Alaska or wherever their destination is. They might be looking for directions or maps or even reviews on entertainment. By creating alternatively focused content that is researched and well written, you will attract people to your travel center that you would otherwise completely miss.
For Solutions based Web sites that are selling a product or service. If you selling an SEO tool that is made for the Webmaster community, that's great. But what about the other businesses that could benefit from your tool? You won't attract them with a bunch of SEO related jargon. Let's say you are trying to attract people to your health product? Okay, so it's a new vitamin supplement that helps provide some kind of solution (let's say it helps fight off symptoms of depression.) Is your only buying audience the "heath food" conscious crowd? Not at all. You might want to explore the search habits of those who are going through some trauma in their life. Mortgage foreclosure, relationship breakups or even those who have recently been downsized from their job. Don't you think these people might have the use for a health product that helps fight depression?
If you are a Real Estate agent who is convinced that the only valuable search terms that are available are MLS Listings or other industry related jargon, listed to this short interview on "Keyword Forensics" which includes many tips for Real Estate Agents.
There are nearly always more than one audience for your product or service or information. Sometimes multiple audiences that could benefit from what you have to offer. Want to read more about expanding your research capabilities based on user search behavior? Read this article by Robin Nobles called: An Ingenious Way to Use Wordtracker that is easier too.
2. Shift your focus by exploring complimentary products and services through affiliate marketing.
If you are already attracting a specific type of visitor to your Web site to purchase your product or service, then the competition may not always be your enemy. Watch for products and services that are complimentary to what you offer through a generous affiliate program.
Did you know you can be earning additional income streams by simple adding useful content and links to your Web site? You promote complimentary products in exchange for an affiliate commission.
Check out the Kolimbo Network. Its free and it connects you with literally hundreds of merchants who are willing to send you a check for promoting their products and services.
3. Shift your focus by learning to explore hot topics of interest through Wordtracker.com
Did you know that you can use Wordtracker as your window on the world of search behavior? I'll keep this short.
It's much more than keyword research. Its about exploring the hidden evidence that 99% of most Webmasters miss. Be sure to read up on our various free Wordtracker articles here. Listen to a few Wordtracker Magic audio tips here.
4. Shift your focus in creating a brand new Blog on a specific topic.
Blogs are nearly like living breathing entities with bloggers discussing every topic under the sun. Have you thought about starting your own blog and getting some discussion going. Choose a topic based on an interest you have and on a topic that has some purpose. Ideally you want to Blog about a topic that you have some experience in and are knowledgeable about. Choose a topic that you feel you have some original views about. But then shift the focus to make it interesting and different than what your competitors are doing. Read the article Blogs with a purpose.
5. Learn how to explore peoples interests and then try shifting the focus of your message to an opposite approach.
One of the easiest ways to do this is to always consider taking a reverse approach or a look at an old topic through a new angle or view. People are interested in a wide array of topics but don't just explore the obvious ones. Always see if a reverse spin might make a better story or deliver a truth that people have not considered before.
What are topics of interest? It might be fashion, crafts, sports, classic movies, biographies around someone's life. It might be something around reading interests or writing interests or perhaps the study of electronics or something like singing, movie direction or piloting an aircraft. Whatever your topic of interest, try to apply a reverse approach to see if it makes better reading or will attract that new audience.
If you are writing content on the top tips for successful Bass fishing, what would happen if instead, you identified and wrote about the 10 most common mistakes made by new Bass fisherman. If you are writing content on any subject always consider looking at the possibilities of writing from either an opposite or a different point of view to deliver your message.
In summary:
Learning to shift your focus from the natural approach to provide content with a slightly different focus will also attract a slightly different audience. Maybe an entirely new audience or several new audiences that will ultimately translate into new business for you.
But it will never happen unless you provide content that reaches beyond your own selling objectives or your Web site's initial reason for existing. You have to be willing to explore data and consider taking an entirely new creative shift from time to time which usually means accurately understanding what your marketplace is doing. Not by guessing but through genuine research of accurate data. Of course none of us ever say that we are guessing, but that is exactly what you are doing when you let your focus remain limited to the one audience that we are " in the habit of serving" from our past experience instead of exploring the wealth of data and research intelligence that is available to us today.
Be encouraged and remember that IF your Web site is a great success.....keep doing what you are doing.
But if you are not experiencing success, it may be time to try a whole new approach.
If you want to experience top visibility on the major search engines, higher conversion ratios with fresh multiple new audiences, we teach the full scope of SEO skills at our hands-on SEO Mastery Workshop and Mentoring program.
Future dates and locations are here.
Recent student success stories and comments are here.
About John Alexander
John Alexander is Co-director of Training at Search Engine Workshops offering live, SEO Workshops with his partner SEO educator Robin Nobles, author of the very first comprehensive online search engine marketing courses. John is author of an e-book called Wordtracker Magic and has taught SEO skills to people from 87 different countries world wide. John's articles can be read in publications like REALTOR Magazine, Search Engine Guide, WEBpro News and many others.
Reigning Keywords – A Quantum Leap in Learning to Explore Legitimate Data
When it comes to exploring keyword data, the common term used by many search engine marketers is “keyword research.”
For the sake of explaining this article, I am choosing to use different terminology than you may have read in other articles about SEO or SEM. So let’s cut back on the dialogue about traditional keyword research and instead, let’s talk about learning how to quickly tap into legitimate data and quickly explore it for the best “behaviourally related” search trends.
In a minute, I’m going to give you a few keyword observations based on exploring data over a period of the last year. And then I’m going to give you a few keyword tips that I hope you’ll find useful when you are looking for new options to attract visitors to your Web site, regardless of what the topic is or what business you are in.
When exploring data for behavior related keyword phrases that are being used in a specific cluster, try and condition yourself to think of how certain words might represent a trend (where more than one person is searching for the same thing.) Much of the time, a grouping of words together in a cluster can reveal exactly what the search was searching for in more depth than you might expect.
Music Store Example:
A music store that sells musical instruments may be limited to only considering the products that they sell such as brass instruments, guitars, woodwinds and percussion. While you guitar sales are down, you are trying to attract more traffic by focusing on your own “guesswork” more than actually researching data based on behaviour. The question is, how can you attract more amateur or professional guitarists when you are competing for identical keywords that the whole music is competing for? Sure there are ways, but would it not also make sense to explore data that you are not currently “thinking” about because it is totally hidden to many researchers.
Our minds are dictating to us the “keywords” that make sense and are related to specific brands or makes of guitars. You begin to think outside the box and say to yourself, okay, let’s explore some guitar related accessories, guitar strings and other things.
That is great, but there is even more than most people realize if they explore other data. Consider the following keyword phrase as “behaviourally related.”
“songs to print for guitar”
Now think about that phrase. What does it tell us?
Do you think it is safe to say that the person who is searching with this exact data is probably a guitar player? How competitive is the phrase for that exact sequence of words? Do you want to find out? Just enter it into Google’s search box but include it inside quotes “songs to print for guitar.”
At the time I wrote this article, there were 224 competing pages for it so it is easy to grab the ranking for.
So what about the searchers who are using this phrase? They are looking for songs that they can print. The trouble is, you sell musical instruments NOT songs, right.
Look at it this way……On the Web today, you do not even have to stock a product in order to sell it or to fulfil orders and to earn an affiliate commission from a partner who is willing to sell the music through an affiliate program. Therefore, if you wanted to set up additional resources on your Web site with pages focused on this behaviour, you could attract more guitarists who, while they are visiting, decide they need a new reverb unit or a set of strings for their guitar.
Other Observations for a music related store:
* "printable oboe music" KEI 81.0
* "diagram of oboe reed" KEI 144.0
* "Trumpet Valves Notes" KEI 676.0
* "history of the bass flute" KEI 529.0
* "free saxophone carols" KEI 784.0
* "Free Printable Music Sheets for Trumpets" KEI 1156.0
What other resources have you not thought about researching that could attract in more of your ideal buying audience?
By exploring legitimate data as opposed to guessing at words your brain tells you must relate, there is a whole world of possibilities for attracting multiple audiences to you Web based resource center.
Outside of music related products, what types of printable material might be useful to research for your own Web site? Is your focus a little to narrow on only one or two products you sell, or are there other things you could be taking advantage of?
* “free logic problems to print”
* “make print crossword puzzles”
* “free crosswords to print”
In Conclusion:
People are using the Internet to research all types of information. One of the biggest tips you can follow to separate you from your competition, is to allow yourself some freedom to explore alternative data (other than) the first “keywords” that pop into your mind. Those first keywords are often the most competitive ones that everyone else (including your competition) is fixated on.
If you want to tap into the niche phrases quicker, simply expand and explore a bigger circumference when it comes to topical data and tune into the less evident keyword phrases that are also indicative of the searcher’s real life circumstances. These are the ultimate phrases that often tell a story or relay a reason why the searcher is searching in the first place.
Let’s look at a few interesting high KEI phrases that were rooted out over 2006 - 2007.
General observations over the last year that have been both interesting and telling:
It seems people like to draw things:
"Drawings of Angels" KEI 69.4
"Learn How to Draw Dragons" KEI 149.0
"How to Draw Flames" KEI 159.9
"Mythical Dragon Drawings" KEI 232.3
"Grim Reaper Drawings" KEI 514.7
"Drawings of the Phoenix Bird" KEI 698.0
"Drawings of the Grim Reaper" KEI 1571.7
"Drawings of Angel Wings" KEI 1608.0
"Hydraulic Pump Drawings" KEI 3669.0
"Pneumatic Drawing Symbols" KEI 5700.2
"Mechanical Drawing of a Backhoe" KEI 18,881.0
Of course there are “price” related searches galore with many interesting trends and high KEI:
"current prices on antique guns" KEI 185.0
"average price for diamond necklaces" KEI 363.0
"HP Laserjet C7115X print cartridge best price" KEI 385.0
"best inkjet paper prices" KEI 392.0
"mens bracelets for cheap prices" KEI 392.0
"compare prices for samsung camcorder battery" KEI 432.0
"antique motorcycle price list" KEI 552.3
antique compass prices KEI 576.0
"kenmore washer and dryer prices" KEI 600.0
"best prices on italian charm bracelet" KEI 648.0
"bamboo flooring discount prices" KEI 705.0
"best price on GE appliances" KEI 936.0
"truck tires low prices" KEI 705.0
"solar water heater price" KEI 1,013.0
prices of napkins KEI 1444.0
"price guide for antique clocks" KEI 1568.0
"price on antique victorian rocking chair" KEI 2,116.0
"cheap prices on italian gold bracelet" KEI 2,500.0
"price guides to antique dishes" KEI 2500.0
Then we come to a few humorous type questions that people enter into the search engines:
"how many zeros in a vigintillion"
"how many transistors are in a new cpu"
"How many episodes did the 1954 TV Series, Lassie air"
"How Many Weeks Pregnant Am I"
"how many calories do i need"
"how many leather panels does a soccer ball have"
"how many muscles does a cat have"
"How many teeth does a mosquito have"
"how many stitches does a baseball have"
and
"How many ridges around the edge does a US dime have"
Tips for Expanding Your Ability to Research Keyword Data Beyond Average Limitations
If you are not familiar with exploring Wordtracker data, watch this short video first:
1. Don't just only consider researching keywords that initially jump out at you.
These are the logical keywords that everyone will target first. Give yourself permission to explore the less logical and even boring little words (that most people take for granted as having no value.) In some of the most common phrase clusters and expressions will you find great trails of gold.
2. Learn how to pay attention to your customers when they dialogue with you about what is important to them.
We often communicate differently when we talk than when we write our Web content. Sometimes there is very revealing things in words that we would never consider exploring the data on. Take time to test all of your ideas based on actual communications with your clients.
3. Think of "keywords" nearly as though they were "topics of interest" and consider which topics might have more appeal to your audience.
4. Remember that there is no such thing as exploring a wrong word. The biggest challenge most people have is that they never take time to explore anything beyond the words that "make sense" to them. If you think like everyone else thinks you will discover exactly what everyone else has discovered. Learn how to explore alternatives and synonyms that others have not EVER bothered to check and you will discover things that have not been discovered by many.
5. Be prepared to get back into the correct mindset the next time you use Wordtracker, because it does take a little practice not to fall back into the same old mindset a few days later.
http://www.searchengineworkshops.com/articles/reigning-keywords.html
For the sake of explaining this article, I am choosing to use different terminology than you may have read in other articles about SEO or SEM. So let’s cut back on the dialogue about traditional keyword research and instead, let’s talk about learning how to quickly tap into legitimate data and quickly explore it for the best “behaviourally related” search trends.
In a minute, I’m going to give you a few keyword observations based on exploring data over a period of the last year. And then I’m going to give you a few keyword tips that I hope you’ll find useful when you are looking for new options to attract visitors to your Web site, regardless of what the topic is or what business you are in.
When exploring data for behavior related keyword phrases that are being used in a specific cluster, try and condition yourself to think of how certain words might represent a trend (where more than one person is searching for the same thing.) Much of the time, a grouping of words together in a cluster can reveal exactly what the search was searching for in more depth than you might expect.
Music Store Example:
A music store that sells musical instruments may be limited to only considering the products that they sell such as brass instruments, guitars, woodwinds and percussion. While you guitar sales are down, you are trying to attract more traffic by focusing on your own “guesswork” more than actually researching data based on behaviour. The question is, how can you attract more amateur or professional guitarists when you are competing for identical keywords that the whole music is competing for? Sure there are ways, but would it not also make sense to explore data that you are not currently “thinking” about because it is totally hidden to many researchers.
Our minds are dictating to us the “keywords” that make sense and are related to specific brands or makes of guitars. You begin to think outside the box and say to yourself, okay, let’s explore some guitar related accessories, guitar strings and other things.
That is great, but there is even more than most people realize if they explore other data. Consider the following keyword phrase as “behaviourally related.”
“songs to print for guitar”
Now think about that phrase. What does it tell us?
Do you think it is safe to say that the person who is searching with this exact data is probably a guitar player? How competitive is the phrase for that exact sequence of words? Do you want to find out? Just enter it into Google’s search box but include it inside quotes “songs to print for guitar.”
At the time I wrote this article, there were 224 competing pages for it so it is easy to grab the ranking for.
So what about the searchers who are using this phrase? They are looking for songs that they can print. The trouble is, you sell musical instruments NOT songs, right.
Look at it this way……On the Web today, you do not even have to stock a product in order to sell it or to fulfil orders and to earn an affiliate commission from a partner who is willing to sell the music through an affiliate program. Therefore, if you wanted to set up additional resources on your Web site with pages focused on this behaviour, you could attract more guitarists who, while they are visiting, decide they need a new reverb unit or a set of strings for their guitar.
Other Observations for a music related store:
* "printable oboe music" KEI 81.0
* "diagram of oboe reed" KEI 144.0
* "Trumpet Valves Notes" KEI 676.0
* "history of the bass flute" KEI 529.0
* "free saxophone carols" KEI 784.0
* "Free Printable Music Sheets for Trumpets" KEI 1156.0
What other resources have you not thought about researching that could attract in more of your ideal buying audience?
By exploring legitimate data as opposed to guessing at words your brain tells you must relate, there is a whole world of possibilities for attracting multiple audiences to you Web based resource center.
Outside of music related products, what types of printable material might be useful to research for your own Web site? Is your focus a little to narrow on only one or two products you sell, or are there other things you could be taking advantage of?
* “free logic problems to print”
* “make print crossword puzzles”
* “free crosswords to print”
In Conclusion:
People are using the Internet to research all types of information. One of the biggest tips you can follow to separate you from your competition, is to allow yourself some freedom to explore alternative data (other than) the first “keywords” that pop into your mind. Those first keywords are often the most competitive ones that everyone else (including your competition) is fixated on.
If you want to tap into the niche phrases quicker, simply expand and explore a bigger circumference when it comes to topical data and tune into the less evident keyword phrases that are also indicative of the searcher’s real life circumstances. These are the ultimate phrases that often tell a story or relay a reason why the searcher is searching in the first place.
Let’s look at a few interesting high KEI phrases that were rooted out over 2006 - 2007.
General observations over the last year that have been both interesting and telling:
It seems people like to draw things:
"Drawings of Angels" KEI 69.4
"Learn How to Draw Dragons" KEI 149.0
"How to Draw Flames" KEI 159.9
"Mythical Dragon Drawings" KEI 232.3
"Grim Reaper Drawings" KEI 514.7
"Drawings of the Phoenix Bird" KEI 698.0
"Drawings of the Grim Reaper" KEI 1571.7
"Drawings of Angel Wings" KEI 1608.0
"Hydraulic Pump Drawings" KEI 3669.0
"Pneumatic Drawing Symbols" KEI 5700.2
"Mechanical Drawing of a Backhoe" KEI 18,881.0
Of course there are “price” related searches galore with many interesting trends and high KEI:
"current prices on antique guns" KEI 185.0
"average price for diamond necklaces" KEI 363.0
"HP Laserjet C7115X print cartridge best price" KEI 385.0
"best inkjet paper prices" KEI 392.0
"mens bracelets for cheap prices" KEI 392.0
"compare prices for samsung camcorder battery" KEI 432.0
"antique motorcycle price list" KEI 552.3
antique compass prices KEI 576.0
"kenmore washer and dryer prices" KEI 600.0
"best prices on italian charm bracelet" KEI 648.0
"bamboo flooring discount prices" KEI 705.0
"best price on GE appliances" KEI 936.0
"truck tires low prices" KEI 705.0
"solar water heater price" KEI 1,013.0
prices of napkins KEI 1444.0
"price guide for antique clocks" KEI 1568.0
"price on antique victorian rocking chair" KEI 2,116.0
"cheap prices on italian gold bracelet" KEI 2,500.0
"price guides to antique dishes" KEI 2500.0
Then we come to a few humorous type questions that people enter into the search engines:
"how many zeros in a vigintillion"
"how many transistors are in a new cpu"
"How many episodes did the 1954 TV Series, Lassie air"
"How Many Weeks Pregnant Am I"
"how many calories do i need"
"how many leather panels does a soccer ball have"
"how many muscles does a cat have"
"How many teeth does a mosquito have"
"how many stitches does a baseball have"
and
"How many ridges around the edge does a US dime have"
Tips for Expanding Your Ability to Research Keyword Data Beyond Average Limitations
If you are not familiar with exploring Wordtracker data, watch this short video first:
1. Don't just only consider researching keywords that initially jump out at you.
These are the logical keywords that everyone will target first. Give yourself permission to explore the less logical and even boring little words (that most people take for granted as having no value.) In some of the most common phrase clusters and expressions will you find great trails of gold.
2. Learn how to pay attention to your customers when they dialogue with you about what is important to them.
We often communicate differently when we talk than when we write our Web content. Sometimes there is very revealing things in words that we would never consider exploring the data on. Take time to test all of your ideas based on actual communications with your clients.
3. Think of "keywords" nearly as though they were "topics of interest" and consider which topics might have more appeal to your audience.
4. Remember that there is no such thing as exploring a wrong word. The biggest challenge most people have is that they never take time to explore anything beyond the words that "make sense" to them. If you think like everyone else thinks you will discover exactly what everyone else has discovered. Learn how to explore alternatives and synonyms that others have not EVER bothered to check and you will discover things that have not been discovered by many.
5. Be prepared to get back into the correct mindset the next time you use Wordtracker, because it does take a little practice not to fall back into the same old mindset a few days later.
http://www.searchengineworkshops.com/articles/reigning-keywords.html
Investing Information Web Site ETFSpot.com Launched to Provide Comprehensive Investment Information for Exchange Traded Funds
Orlando, FL (PRWEB) June 7, 2007 -- The ETFSpot.com Beta Web site has been launched to help investors make more informed investing choices when investing with exchange-traded funds by providing innovative one-screen views of popular exchange traded fund lists, ETF101 quick references, daily technical multi-charts, performance and relative-market ratings, forums – as well as the Web site’s Top 10 ETF funds list.
“Exchange-traded funds are providing never-before-seen opportunities for investors by giving them control and flexibility over their investing to maximize investment returns in both bull and bear markets,” said Pravi Rottla, of IRASpot.com LLC. “The Web site provides comprehensive information to help educate individual investors and investment professionals when investing and trading using exchange-traded funds.”
Using exchange-traded funds, investors can now participate in fixed-income, commodity and currency markets with the same ease and familiarity as investing and trading with stocks. The Web site provides investors with daily insight and coverage of exchange traded funds from all asset classes – stocks, global equities, commodities, bonds and forex categories.
Daily coverage of the overall market landscape across major asset classes is now made quick and easy with the launch of the “ETFSpot.com Top 10 ETF List”. Digging deeper into the Web site’s category pages, users can study and spot possible investing opportunities within each market segment and asset class.
Both individual investors and experienced traders alike can get a quick start at the Web site’s exchange-traded fund search and explore portal. Popular exchange-traded fund lists and 101 lists are located at each of our market-segment pages, providing handy and quick references.
Active investors can get further daily insight by reviewing the detailed technical analysis-based exchange-traded fund charts, performance and relative ratings – all within an innovative “one-screen” look-and-feel interface. “Spot-the-trend” tab enables users to quickly compare performance of various exchange-traded funds across different time frames within each market segment. News view allows the users to keep up with the latest news and blogs.
Stock investors, too, can learn and benefit by developing strategies based on exchange-traded fund market and sector trends. The Web site’s complex analytics generate combined stocks and exchange-traded fund views and relative performance ratings for tickers typed in our quote box, thus helping investors spot similar, high-performing stocks and exchange-traded funds.
The Web site welcomes individual investors and investment professionals to become part of the community by participating in the Web site’s forums. Active investors can check out recent blog “Top ten things that every active ETF investor needs to know”.
Disclaimer: All information provided by our Web sites is meant for educational and entertainment purposes only and should not be used for making investing or trading decisions. Please see terms and conditions at etfspot.com
http://www.prweb.com/releases/Exchange-Traded_Funds/Investing_ETF/prweb531742.htm
“Exchange-traded funds are providing never-before-seen opportunities for investors by giving them control and flexibility over their investing to maximize investment returns in both bull and bear markets,” said Pravi Rottla, of IRASpot.com LLC. “The Web site provides comprehensive information to help educate individual investors and investment professionals when investing and trading using exchange-traded funds.”
Using exchange-traded funds, investors can now participate in fixed-income, commodity and currency markets with the same ease and familiarity as investing and trading with stocks. The Web site provides investors with daily insight and coverage of exchange traded funds from all asset classes – stocks, global equities, commodities, bonds and forex categories.
Daily coverage of the overall market landscape across major asset classes is now made quick and easy with the launch of the “ETFSpot.com Top 10 ETF List”. Digging deeper into the Web site’s category pages, users can study and spot possible investing opportunities within each market segment and asset class.
Both individual investors and experienced traders alike can get a quick start at the Web site’s exchange-traded fund search and explore portal. Popular exchange-traded fund lists and 101 lists are located at each of our market-segment pages, providing handy and quick references.
Active investors can get further daily insight by reviewing the detailed technical analysis-based exchange-traded fund charts, performance and relative ratings – all within an innovative “one-screen” look-and-feel interface. “Spot-the-trend” tab enables users to quickly compare performance of various exchange-traded funds across different time frames within each market segment. News view allows the users to keep up with the latest news and blogs.
Stock investors, too, can learn and benefit by developing strategies based on exchange-traded fund market and sector trends. The Web site’s complex analytics generate combined stocks and exchange-traded fund views and relative performance ratings for tickers typed in our quote box, thus helping investors spot similar, high-performing stocks and exchange-traded funds.
The Web site welcomes individual investors and investment professionals to become part of the community by participating in the Web site’s forums. Active investors can check out recent blog “Top ten things that every active ETF investor needs to know”.
Disclaimer: All information provided by our Web sites is meant for educational and entertainment purposes only and should not be used for making investing or trading decisions. Please see terms and conditions at etfspot.com
http://www.prweb.com/releases/Exchange-Traded_Funds/Investing_ETF/prweb531742.htm
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)