Posted by: Andy on June 9th, 2008
Category: Research, Search Engine Optimization, Internet Marketing, e-Business Basics
Viewed: 1,083 times
eBC Guide to Improving Usability
Writing good copy for your web pages is extremely important not only for users but also for search engines. Fortunately for us there is no conflict in writing for users or search engines and if your copy provides the information needed by users then it will also provide the information needed by the search engines.
The practical aspects of good copy are well known thanks to many usability studies, and if you pay attention to the following for all your pages you will be doing better than 99% of websites.
1. Length
There is no fixed requirement for the amount of text on a page. Some pages may require only 150 words others may require 800 or more. Be succinct and use as few words as possible, at least half of what you would use for conventional writing.
2. Keywords
Include your keywords of course but do not worry about the number of times they appear on the page (see Keyword Density). Just write naturally and your keywords will occur in the right places and at the right frequency.
3. Grammar
Good grammar is important. Write in the active voice not the passive. If you are not sure of the difference between the active and passive voice there is a good explanation here at the Purdue University Online Writing Lab.
4. Spelling
Users who are poor spellers may not notice bad spelling but users who are good spellers will. Search engines are good spellers.
5. Headings
All usability studies show that users scan web pages ( http://www.useit.com/alertbox/reading_pattern.html ), they do not read them word for word. You should make liberal use of headings and sub-headings (h1, h2, and h3) so that the users' attention can be drawn towards those elements of the text that is of interest to them. Also make sure that they are meaningful and not ‘clever' like some newspaper headlines.
6. Highlighting
Use text highlighting such as bold, italic or color to assist the user in scanning the page.
7. Bulleted lists
An excellent method for capturing the users' attention and getting across information in a concise manner.
8. Paragraphs
One idea, one paragraph. Usability studies show that if users are not ‘captured' by the first few words of a paragraph they will move to the next (or hit the back button of course). One idea per paragraph ensures that users will not miss an idea by skipping paragraphs as they scan the page.
9. Sentences
Keep your sentences short.
10. Links
Embed outbound text links in your copy to improve your credibility.
11. Market Speak
All usability studies show that users hate the promotional writing style with boastful claims often used by the marketing profession. Web users want to read the straight facts and credibility goes out the window when they see marketing hype.
12. Vocabulary
Familiar words and not jargon.
13. Acronyms
If you have to use an acronym or abbreviation make sure it is understood by every user and define it on the page.
If you are not an English major (like most of us!) then the Guide to Grammar and Style ( http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Writing/contents.html ) or the Economist Style Guide ( http://www.economist.com/research/styleGuide/ ) can be extremely useful.
Additionally, Usability guru Jakob Nielsen has some useful advice on Writing for the Web ( http://www.useit.com/papers/webwriting/ ) and using ‘old' words ( http://www.useit.com/alertbox/search-keywords.html ).
Reprinted ( http://www.seo-blog.com/text.php ) with permission by SEO Expert Michael Duz ( http://www.seo-blog.com ). Michael Duz is a researcher in the field of e-marketing and search engine optimization whose organization has many well known corporate clients.
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Posted by: Andy on June 19th, 2007
Category: Reports & Resources, Research, Search Engine Optimization, Internet Marketing
Viewed: 1,469 times
If your hosting company is having performance problems and your website is down it will have a negative effect on your Google rankings. "If the host is down when Googlebot tries to access your pages, then those pages may disappear from the index until Googlebot can crawl them again."
Here is information from Google
WEBSITE MONITORING SERVICES
How often does your site go down? Checkout these moitoring services.
Host Tracker
http://host-tracker.com/
Free account monitors 2 URLs in a 30 minute interval and includes weekly reports
SITE UPTIME
http://www.siteuptime.com/
Free account monitors 1 URL in a 30 minute and 60 minute interval and includes monthly reports and email alerts
WEBSITE PLUS
http://www.websitepulse.com/
30 Day Free Trial
DOTCOM MONITOR
http://www.dotcom-monitor.com
30 Day Free Trial
INTERNET SEER
http://www.internetseer.com
30 Day Free Trial
Tags: Google, Hosting Problems, Website Down
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Posted by: Andy on June 8th, 2007
Category: Search Engine Optimization, Internet Marketing
Viewed: 1,990 times
Google has updated their quality guidelines with information for webmasters who wish to avoid “getting in trouble” with the world's largest search engine.
Avoid hidden text or hidden links .
Hiding text or links in your content can cause your site to be perceived as untrustworthy since it presents information to search engines differently than to visitors. Text (such as excessive keywords) can be hidden in several ways.
If your site is perceived to contain hidden text and links that are deceptive in intent, your site may be removed from the Google index, and will not appear in search results pages. When evaluating your site to see if it includes hidden text or links, look for anything that's not easily viewable by visitors of your site.
Don't use cloaking or sneaky redirects .
Cloaking refers to the practice of presenting different content or URLs to users and search engines. Serving up different results based on user agent may cause your site to be perceived as deceptive and removed from the Google index.
Google's aim is to give our users the most valuable and relevant search results. Therefore, we frown on practices that are designed to manipulate search engines and deceive users by directing them to sites other than the ones they selected and that provide content solely for the benefit of search engines. Sites making use of these practices may be removed from the Google index, and will not appear in Google search results.
Don't send automated queries to Google .
Google's Terms of Service do not allow the sending of automated queries of any sort to our system without express permission in advance from Google. Sending automated queries absorbs resources and includes using any software (such as WebPosition Gold™) to send automated queries to Google to determine how a website or webpage ranks in Google search results for various queries.
Don't load pages with irrelevant keywords.
"Keyword stuffing" refers to the practice of loading a webpage with keywords in an attempt to manipulate a site's ranking in Google's search results. Filling pages with keywords results in a negative user experience, and can harm your site's ranking. Focus on creating useful, information-rich content that uses keywords appropriately and in context.
To fix this problem, review your site for misused keywords. Typically, these will be lists or paragraphs of keywords, often randomly repeated. Check carefully, because keywords can often be in the form of hidden text, or they can be hidden in title tags or alt attributes.
Don't create multiple pages, subdomains, or domains with substantially duplicate content .
Duplicate content generally refers to substantive blocks of content within or across domains that either completely match other content or are appreciably similar. Mostly, this is not deceptive in origin.
Google tries hard to index and show pages with distinct information. This filtering means, for instance, that if your site has a "regular" and "printer" version of each article, and neither of these is blocked in robots.txt or with a noindex meta tag, we'll choose one of them to list. In the rare cases in which Google perceives that duplicate content may be shown with intent to manipulate our rankings and deceive our users, we'll also make appropriate adjustments in the indexing and ranking of the sites involved. As a result, the ranking of the site may suffer, or the site might be removed entirely from the Google index, in which case it will no longer appear in search results.
Don't create pages that install viruses, trojans, or other badware .
Sites that exploit browser security holes to install software (such as malware, spyware, viruses, adware, and trojan horses) are in violation of the Google quality guidelines, and may be removed from Google's index.
Avoid "doorway" pages created just for search engines , or other "cookie cutter" approaches such as affiliate programs with little or no original content .
One of the most important steps in improving your site's ranking in Google search results is to ensure that it contains plenty of rich information that includes relevant keywords, used appropriately, that indicate the subject matter of your content.
However, some webmasters attempt to improve their page's ranking and attract visitors by creating pages with many words but little or no authentic content. Google will take action against domains that try to rank more highly by just showing scraped or other auto-generated pages that don't add any value to users.
Tags: Google
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Posted by: Nathan on May 1st, 2007
Category: Search Engine Optimization, Marketing, Pay Per Click, Internet Marketing, e-Business Basics
Viewed: 1,672 times
This article was written by Maor Daniel, the National Marketing Manager with Yahoo! Search Marketing, who was kind enough to share it with us so that we could share it with you. This is a great article that introduces the benefits of using search engines to market your business. This article is meant to educate the Canadian public on an underused marketing medium - The Internet. Enjoy…
Everyday Canadian consumers & businesses perform 33 Million search engine queries. These queries range in purpose from general interest to brand research to product comparisons to price shopping and more.
The proven effectiveness of search engine traffic as a direct response tool has made it the fastest-growing online advertising segment over the last five years according to statistics from The Internet Advertising Bureau of Canada (IABC). Additional IAB statistics indicated that search represented an astounding 35% share of all online advertising last year, up from just 9% in 2003. “Canadian businesses are starting to understand the power of connecting products and services to consumers and businesses when & where they are looking for them,” says Martin Byrne, National Director – Yahoo! Search Marketing, “and they’re starting to grasp how important it is to take a truly holistic approach.” A holistic approach, he says, means bridging offline and online media, as well as leveraging the two complementary strategies of both organic search and paid placement (pay per click).
WHY DOES SEARCH WORK?
Search works for 3 main reasons:
Timing – Message consumers and businesses when they are in the purchase final
Relevance – Message consumers and businesses with solutions that match their needs
Simplicity – Short messaging formats keep value proposition and message simple
Here is an example of someone looking to purchase a bed and how they would utilize search to find it.
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Consumer Decision Funnel
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Consumer Thoughts
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What would consumer search for?
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Need Recognition
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“My back hurts”
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Back pain
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Need Qualification
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“Maybe I need a new bed”
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Beds & back pain
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Solution Identification
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“I need a bed that gives me better support”
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Beds with back support
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Solution Evaluation
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“Foam or Spring”
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Foam vs. spring beds
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Solution Selection
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“Foam bed brand A versus brand B”
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Foam beds
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Transaction Solution
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“I’ve got $1,500 to spend”
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Cheap brand A beds
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WHAT ARE THE TWO MAIN COMPONENTS OF SEARCH?
Organic listings are the core of search engines and are the informal directory of the internet, usually located on the left hand area of the page. They represent a scanning of internet content and links and ranking based on the relevance of the content relative to the word or phrases the user has entered. This relevance scoring is based on of factors as presence of keywords in HTML Title tags within Web pages, etc.
Paid listings usually appear at the top, or down the right side, of the results page. They are generally ranked using a formula that incorporates what the advertisers has bid for the value of a click vs. the performance of the ad and the relevance of the content it leads to. Paid listings allow advertisers to craft language, message and key words to create advertising that best drives online conversions, while reducing their cost-per click rate.
When it comes to organic search, the key for any advertiser is to ensure their website is being ranked near the top, based on relevant key words searched. According to an Eye Tracking Study performed by Vancouver-based search engine marketing firm Enquiro, 100% of audiences view the top three organic listings every time they type in a key word and hit “go”— no matter what search engine they use.
Just 50% of audiences, however, view the organic listing in the sixth position at all as well as they do the top-right sponsored ad. Search engine optimization (SEO) requires delving deeper into how algorithms rank Websites on results pages, but the extra effort is worth it as per above, and because the listing can persistently rank high without the daily or weekly infusion of cash that paid placement may require. In the Eye Tracking study above, researchers found most users scan search results in a “golden triangle” pattern (see chart), characterized by that familiar upper left orientation. “Clicks also happen fairly quickly,” explains Gord Hotchkiss, president and CEO of Enquiro “Consumers usually select the top one or two sites in an organic search because they trust the search engine has performed its job right by finding them the results they are looking for.” The Eye Tracking study found that while indeed 76% of participants found what they were searching for on the first click, a significant 26% returned to the search results page disappointed.
Those that returned to the results page scanned it in a much different way the second time around. Hotchkiss says this is because users no longer “believe” the search engine is able to rank organic listings to their liking, so at this point they are more likely to scan other areas of the results page.
On second viewing, Hotchkiss says, the probability of paid sponsored ads receiving a click “rises dramatically.” So, should search engines let their algorithms be a little less accurate, and drive users from organic to paid listings, in order to increase revenue? To do that, would be to their peril. Users want to receive and click on relevant organic results. After all, perceived results relevance is the reason why consumers use one search engine over the other. And what’s more, the combination of both organic and paid search strategies has been proven to be greater than the sum of their parts.
WHERE TO EXPECT NEXT?
Search is expanding into more specialized areas, in particular local verticals. According to Borrel Associates, the amount advertisers will spend on local paid search will reach US$987 million in 2006 — double the amount spent last year.
Keeping in step, Yahoo.ca has launched its new search algorithm that will help bring up more relevant and locally-driven search results. Mark Updegrove, vice president of sales at Yahoo Canada, says this will encourage more users to conduct local searches, as well as improve organic and paid listing results for local establishments.
Advertisers should also consider their SEM (Search Engine Marketing) strategy for listings in local online directories, such as YellowPages.ca. These directories allow consumers to search for businesses based on geographical criteria, regardless of whether a business has a website or not.
FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
Consider these benefits of using search engine marketing when looking for new ways to promote your products and services online:
- Search is the right medium to find clients when they are seeking for products & services
- In comparison to other marketing methodologies such as banner ads, telemarketing and direct mail search delivers the most cost effective way to acquire customers
- Search engines match the right customers with the right products
Tags: SEM, Search Engine Marketing, SEO, Search Engine Optimization, Internet Marketing
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Posted by: Nathan on February 7th, 2007
Category: Search Engine Optimization
Viewed: 2,284 times
This is a list of the factors that can influence a web document's rank at the major search engines (Yahoo!, MSN, & Google) for a particular term or phrase. These results are from a survey of SEO professionals conducted by SEOmoz.org. The total score for each factor has been averaged out and displayed out of a possible perfect 5.00.
1. Title Tag - 4.57/5.00
Denoted by the <title> tags in HTML, this tag always shows at the top of a browser window and often appears in the SERPs as the title of the web page.
2. Anchor Text of Links - 4.46/5.00
The phrasing, terms, order and length of a link's anchor text (Anchor text is the visible hyperlinked text on the page) is one of the largest factors taken into account by the major search engines for ranking. Specific anchor text links help a site to rank better for that particular term/phrase at the search engines.
In a normally built site, anchor text is usually used to indicate the subject matter of the page that it links to. This pattern of usage has been applied in search engine algorithms to enhance the relevance of the "target" or the "landing page" URL for the keywords appearing within the anchor text.
3. Keyword Use in Document Text - 4.38/5.00
The use of queried terms (the keywords users search for) appearing in the document text.
4. Accessibility of Document - 4.3/5.00
Inaccessible documents could be due to 404 errors, server mishaps, plug-in requirements or other technical issues. Accessibility can also be compromised by using URL re-directs that search engine spiders cannot follow, hiding content behind select forms, JavaScript or other hard-to-spider forms of navigation including frames and Flash.
5. Links to Document from Site-Internal Pages - 4.15/5.00
A specific page's importance in a site's overall architecture can be measured by the importance and depth of the other pages on the site that refer to the page in question. An internally well-linked to document is generally considered more important than an obscured or buried page.
6. Primary Subject Matter of Site - 4.00/5.00
A website's primary topic (as determined through analysis of the content of its hosted documents) may influence how well it is able to rank pages on similar, corresponding or off-topic subjects. If a site is particularly focused in one niche or another (from finance to politics to restaurants) documents hosted at that site on specific subjects encompassed by the broader topic may have a better chance of ranking well. There are also many sites on topics like news or general information distribution (e.g. CNN.com, Topix.net, etc.) that encompass all or many subjects equally and may be able to rank documents for a wide variety of topics.
7. External Links to Linking Pages - 3.92/5.00
The external links that point to a document can have a strong effect on the power and relevancy that links from that document to other documents carry.
8. Link Popularity of Site in Topical Community - 3.77/5.00
Topical communities are measured by the search engines as groups of websites who interlink to and with one another frequently and carry a similar topic or theme. Since topical communities are relevant and "on-topic", the links from them carry great weight. A site that is included in a topical community by way of links from many other members may be considered more relevant and authoritative on the community's subject matter.
9. Global Link Popularity of Site - 3.69/5.00
Global link popularity simply measures the importance of all the links to a unique domain, with more links from more important sites (relative to their own link popularity) typically having stronger influence.
10. Keyword Spamming - 3.69/5.00
Stuffing, stacking or overusing key terms in an attempt to appear "relevant" for terms/phrases may negatively affect rankings.
Full results can be viewed online:
http://www.seomoz.org/articles/search-ranking-factors.php
SEOmoz
SEOmoz provides companies around the world with consulting, Internet marketing and search engine optimization services. Although our home offices in Seattle, WA serve as our base of operations, we're frequently found globetrotting across the US, Canada & Europe. Our goal is to provide a high level of service and education to businesses, individuals, non-profits and government organizations so they can best leverage the unique reach of the Internet to increase visibility and achieve success.
eBusiness Connection offers SEO and Internet Marketing seminars for small business owners who want to go online or expand their online presence. To view our list of seminars go to http://www.e-bc.ca/pages/resources/seminars.php
Tags: SEO, Search Engine Optimization, eMarketing
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