This questions has come up a lot lately.
Answer: Google Base
Steps to Take
Create a data feed in XML or TXT format.
Your product listings will remain active for up to 31 days. After that, just re-upload your feed and your products will be published again.
"Great article", says Making Money Online.
"Loved your interesting story about whales", says Whale Expert AK.
No one starts a blog without expecting some level of two-way dialogue to naturally happen. In fact, that's why most people start blogs -- to share their ideas.
Then, through powerful search algorithms, social recommendations and a necessary dash of self promotion to get the former started, there ideas begin to be heard.
Then, once their ideas begin to be heard, some commenters see opportunity to steal traffic, redirect eyeballs and turn a profit.
The last part of the equation is fine with me, as long as there is value in the comments, and transparent motives.
What amateur traffic stealers and link builders don't understand is that, like most things of value, there are mechanisms built in protect the innocent and defeat the selfish. In the case of blog commenting, that mechanism is the nofollow link placed inside of virtually link that is attached to a blog commenter's name.
You've been notified.
Unless you're expecting quality referral traffic from the link you attach to your name, or bullshit keyword phrase for that matter, it's not worth the effort to try to get around the system.
Why not?
Because it's automated on every popular bloggin platform.
Another reason. OK. Any blogger that allows comments and is worried about their reputation is notified when their blog receives a comment, and is able to unpublish it.
Social media is rewarding when it's used correctly, even if you're not a heavy content creator.
Check out this great article from Search Engine Watch on using search tools to help you uncover places to build links.
Here is a link to Google's SEO Starter Guide.
It covers many of the factors discussed in my on-page SEO book, called We Have a Web site. Now What?
Some unique things that I covered are how to properly optimize PDFs (Page 16), and a helpful list of non-Google sponsored SEO resources. (page 17)
Here is a link to the 2008 Ad Age Search Marketing Fact Pack.
Here are some of the key things I noticed when looking through the data.
Keyword Data
As the Internet continues to gain content, search queries continue to get more and more specific.
See slide 14 for the percentage data breakdown of search queries by word count.
Growth in Revenue at the 25 Largest Search Marketing Companies
SEM services continue to show growth. The five largest SEM service companies were up an average of 21.6 percent.
See slide 32.
Budget Shifts from Print to Web
32% of respondents of a SEMPO survey said they were shifting marketing dollars from print magazine advertising to SEM.
See slide 26.
No Surprise, Google Still Dominates
Google grew market share yet again. It now has 63% market share for search (up 6.5% YOY using August 07-08 data). (63.1% market share in October 2008 according to ComScore)
See slide 11.
It's annual planning season. The hot topic in a lot of companies right now is sure to be 'How can we reduce or maintain our marketing budget in 2009 while still achieving sales growth".
The conversation then turns to the Internet. Let's redesign our web site to be more user friendly, ramp up search marketing, pay hourly for a freelance SEO specialist to get us the top spot on Google for a generic term for a product we sell, and decrease our print advertising spending.
Not all bad ideas.
I'd say most companies could see a descent return on investment from any one of those things.
The big thing to take to allocate toward any one of those items listed above is not money.
It's time.
SEO consultants provide great foundations for success. Typically, they analyze the most immediate areas of concern and address them.
But, the thing they have that you can't afford is time.
Before you start throwing additional money at online marketing in 2009, realize that you should consider training, hiring or assigning someone at your company to handle the responsibility that comes with online marketing.
It's not as easy as hiring a graphic designer to lay out a new brochure.
The flexibility that makes the internet a great place for marketing also makes it a time-consuming venture.
But, for those with the time, it can be worth it.
Here is a link to an article from Search Engine Watch that discusses 25 best practices in web design for small businesses.
One useful tip that I overlooked previously was targeting locally known names -- such as Twin Cities, SoHo, DIA, LAX, Orange County, etc. --- in addition to city-based locations.
When I look at web sites, which is quite often, I tend to look for how well their content is optimized -- from an on-page perspective, of course. Even when I am just trying to take in the content, I can't help but notice title tags, directory and file names in the URL, and meta descriptions of content found via search.
The Problem
The problem I notice with many companies whose sites don't rank well, is that they feel the need to brand every title tag, either with the company name or a combination of the product/service name and their company name.
I understand the urge.
Marketers have been taught that building a brand is everything, and the more opportunities for customers to interact with your brand the better.
In the SEO game -- which is one the primary battlegrounds for new customers -- branding, especially in title tags, isn't nearly as critical as in an print ad, radio ad, yellow page listing, etc.
It's about targeting specific keywords.
And, if you're keywords aren't in your company name -- or URL for that matter -- which is often the case, you're doing a disservice to your SEO efforts.
The Solution
SEO is about the what, where and how of your company.
People that care about the who already know you. And that's fine. You have their traffic, though -- so for SEO purposes don't focus on them.
The what and where are easy. Focus on those first.
What do you do?
Where are you located?
The how is more difficult, because you can go in any number of directions, but it only matters if the way describe it fits in with the way buyers search within that market.
How do you go about providing your products/services?
How are your products made?
How are you different from companies that provide the same type of goods?
How long have been in business?
How often does your inventory change?
The Takeaway
I am not saying companies should lose all branding, but only dedicated the home page or the URL to the company name. It works the best this way because when people talk about your company generally, they're more likely to provide an anchor-text-filled link to your home page.
As I mentioned in my previous post, the goal of this post is to inspire you to take a calculated risk and build a Web site you've thought about, but ‘haven’t found the time to build’. This post is describing a recent project I took on with my Dad.
Background
We needed a quick and dirty e-commerce site to showcase
50-60 scooter parts that my Dad has available for sale that fit various brands
of scooters, primarily made by Dayang, Honda and Yamaha.
Below you’ll learn about how I got started, the tools I used, and how I influenced search engine rankings by implementing proper on-page SEO items.
Please forgive my grammar, as I am writing this piece for speed as well. I'm hoping to edit it later on.
Built for Speed
Since this project wasn’t billable, and it’s not planned to be a long-term business, I tried to cut corners when possible. Also, scooters and mopeds are seasonal by nature, so finishing the site to allow for earlier rankings eased my fears about using shortcuts.
Buying a Good Domain
I bought the domain at the end of March for this site.
Before buying it, I used five tools to help me compare search data.
The five tools I used were:
3. Free Keyword Research from Trellian
4. Keyword Difficulty from SEOChat
5. Keyword Difficulty Tool from seologs
To be able to compare the data quick and effectively, I set
up an Excel spreadsheet with search data in columns and the corresponding
search term in rows from the five data sources. I recommend this for both SEO research and keyword-based campaign research. It allows me to scan quickly
for keyword opportunities.
Using this data, and keeping in mind commonalities of the Web site content I was going to publish, I decided on MopedandScooterParts.com, which I was surprised was available.
Creating Content
To start, I got pictures of each part using a digital
camera, with each part featured on a white bed sheet for easy editing in
Photoshop.
With the images, I also received corresponding descriptions and prices for each part.
Once I had this information, I had 80-90 percent of the Web site content. Now, it just need to be coded.
Payments
To save time, I decided to use PayPal for the shopping cart function. For this site, the transaction fees are reasonable (1.9% of the sale price + .20 cents per transaction).
Hosting
I already had Web hosting through Dreamhost, which is cheap, at $97 per year. (dreamhost affiliate link). Also, since I had the hosting package, Dreamhost allowed me to purchase a domain for free for the first year ($10 savings).
Software Used
I used Photoshop for deleting background noise from images of the parts for sale, and Dreamweaver for HTML/CSS coding.
I also used Dreamhost’s built-in HTML editor for minor HTML tweaks along the way.
Web site Building
tools Used
I used CSSEZ to help me create a base model for the CSS stylesheet.
It was tweaked slightly, but about 80% of the work creating the CSS was done in a WYSIWYG environment versus a coding environment, which allowed me to work much faster. (see CSSEZ version and the final version).Contrary to what this site states, these CSS you create can be used without WordPress or MoveableType.
I used HTML Playground for a reference when I forgot some HTML/CSS lingo.
I used XML Sitemaps to help me create a quick and dirty sitemap in
HTML and XML. It took some minor tweaking to the code to make the HTML Sitemap respectable. This tool saved me a ton of time, though.
I used FormLogix web forms since I don’t know MySQL, but wanted to
grow an e-mail newsletter subscription list. Now, it seems that FormLogix puts Google Ads on pages where its forms are used, which is lame and a deterrent. When I created mine, they didn't do this.
How the site ranks
Right now, the site ranks in positions 1-3 on both Yahoo! and Google for phrases including the word Dayang and the name of a specific part we have for sale, which is roughly 60-70 percent of the content. (sample search 1, sample search 2, sample search 3).
How Did I Achieve
Strong Search Rankings?
Right now, the site doesn’t have many in-bound links, which
certainly is not helping it for difficult keyword phrases. However, one thing
working in my favor on this project is that there aren’t many online content
providers for after-market Dayang Scooter Parts.
Also, each page of the site has a strong focus on targeted
keywords. Keywords for each page are included in the:
Other Tools
Google Analytics – monitor site traffic, usage, referring sites, etc.
Google Webmaster – monitor search rankings, inbound links found by Google, upload a sitemap, etc.
Yahoo! Site Explorer – to check competitor’s links and my links.
Some More Things to
Consider when Building or Redesigning a Web site
Future Plans
In case you’re interested with how I plan to proceed going forward, I listed a few measures I plan to take below.
I plan to build a Squidoo page about Dayang scooters, because there is not a lot information about them. Squidoo has a high PageRank, and providing relevant content will help us pick up some link juice. Hopefully the lens will pickup and refer some traffic as well.
I hope that we can post PDF versions of various scooter
owners’ manuals.
I will be analyzing existing competitors Web sites for
opportunities to pick up links from the same sources.
Depending on the time it takes to implement, I may add a Google Checkout option in combination with an AdWords account. For now, we’ll see how PayPal works out.
If you have any questions about something I left out, please
e-mail me.
For additional site-building and SEO Help
Download my on-page SEO e-book to help you improve your Web site’s rankings.
Here's an interesting rant from Mark Jackson at Search Engine Watch.
I have been thinking this for a while and agree with his points about web design and IT professionals short-changing companies when it comes to doing 'SEO' work.
It's been heavily talked about in magazines, TV programs and blogs for years, to varying degrees and with varying intentions.
Yes, customers are in control.
In the broadcast era of marketing, customers decided whether or not to pay attention to your message.
Then, the Internet came along, put print and TV on the ropes, and gave customers new avenues to express their opinions, along with a wider selection of free content delivered in many forms.
Online, customers are always in control. From product reviews, to blog posts, to the search terms they enter to find products they're looking for. Not only can customers determine whether or not your prospects buy your products, but your prospects can pass you by without even knowing you exist, unless you play by their rules and cater to the wants that they communicate.
The key to marketing in the digital era is to research how your target audience describes the products and services they use. Then, create content related to that instead of trying to have your audience begin using the language your company uses to describe itself.
The best thing about online marketing is that the playing field is (relatively) even online. Companies small and big can use the same research tactics and create great content.
A rather new concept is using a blog like an e-newsletter.
I love the approach from a marketing and an SEO standpoint.
The one drawback I can think of is not getting each subscriber's contact information. However, users are in control, whether you like it or not. If you provide continuous value, they'll want to do business with you.
I am going to be pushing for this approach at my company.
Do you have any other drawbacks or benefits of using a blog as an e-newsletter?
Also, I'll be on vacation this week. This will be my last post for a while.
To promote my free SEO e-book on on-page search engine optimization, called "We Have a Web site, Now What?", I am providing some SEO tips. This week's installment is about URLs. (URL defined). Below are four things to keep in mind before and after setting up a Web site.
Remember, search engines try to link searchers to information that is directly related to the search query that is entered. Therefore, having keywords in the domain name and file name are important because it shows search engines that you're catering your content to that micro-audience of searchers.
I read a few interesting articles with differing view points on whether or not you should target long-tail keywords.
Links
For targeting long-tail keywords by Jennifer Laycock.
Why you should target the most competitive keywords by Hamet Batista.
I really like Jennifer's description, image and examples of the search buying cycle.
My Take on Long-Tail Keyword Targeting
My take is that it depends on the type of site you have. If it's a blog that wants readers, go for generic keywords because that's where the big traffic is. If you have a used car web site, go for long-tail keywords that are easier to rank well for and will likely convert at a higher rate.
Does your site get more conversions (e-mail sign-ups, purchases, etc.) from long-tail keywords or generic keywords?
Let me know in the comments. Please note what market your company competes in as well.
To promote my e-book, I will be providing tips related to on-page search engine optimization from time to time.
Today's topic is header tags.
Here is an overview courtesy of HTML Code Tutorial.
Each header tag indicates the relative importance of each section it is heading:
is for the major sections of your document, or as the one header to the entire document. <H1 ...>is for the secondary sections of your document, etc. <H2 ...>
Basically, you can think of the header tag as being similar to a newspaper's headline.
To help optimize your pages using header tags, keep these three rules in mind:
The graphic on the right, courtesy of Net Mechanic, visually displays how header tags
function.
The source code for this graphic would be:
<h1>H1</h1>
<h2>H2</h2>
Download my free ebook about on-page SEO.
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