Page Rank plays an important part in Search Engine Optimsation.
Firstly, let me explain what Google PageRank is. It's an algorithm by which Google measures the relative importance of individual web pages. Most people probably know of Page Rank as the little green bar in the web browser which is part of the Google Toolbar pack.
Page ranking is scored on a scale of 0-10, with zero being the lowest and 10 being top of the class. Very, very few pages actually achieve a 10. The score on the Google Toolbar isn't the actual ranking of the page - no one but Google knows the exact algorithm used to calculate page rank but it is thought that it updates page rank information every 3 months. It is widely said that the ranking gauge on the Google Toolbar does not show current data.
The aim of the search engines is to provide relevant content to their users. For this reason alone they keep their ranking methods close to their chests and make frequent changes.
I have read many times over that people become obsessed with Page rank. Infact, they probably become more obsessed with the toolbar pagerank that the actual position of their pages in the search results. For this reason alone many people believe that the Google Toolbar version of page rank is simply a gimmick. One that has created a lot of fuss and speculation.
Not only do people get obsessed with page rank but it also creates sense of pride, envy and increased prices for sales of links. As daft as it sounds, those same two things that pay you more money for having "good pagerank", can just as easily cause your pagerank to decrease.
Google tries to discourage the sale of links to increase page rank by penalising people of sell links. If you buy a text link on a page with good PageRank, and use a keyword rich anchor text for the link, it boosts the web page you are advertising for that keyword phrase. This is an obvious manipulation of the search results - which is why Google is discouraging and penalising sites who participate in such activity.
However, all this being said, Google Page Rank is still a real world ranking criteria that determines search engine results. However, this is Google's real Page Rank, and not the Toolbar Page Rank.
Tuesday, 18 November 2008
Thursday, 23 October 2008
Plans for Cheadle Web Site welcomed.
Town councillors were given an insight into the benefits of a web site for Cheadle.
Ian Sheldon, owner of Web Design Company eSoftware Solutions outlined how the web site would work.
Cheadle is one of the few town’s without an up-to-date online portal for visitors from across the world.
Mr Sheldon revealed that 65% of households in the United Kingdom are now online.
He said: “We want to create an engaging, eye catching online portal for the town. There will be three main areas of the web site that will focus on council related matters, tourism and local businesses. It is an opportunity to rebrand Cheadle as an online entity.”
Deputy Mayor Mike Maryon said: “There is so much going on in the town, and we are building up to the Pugin celebrations in 2012. In this day and age it is difficult to find a town without a web site, but we are lagging behind. This is an important development for the town.”
Town Councillors will now decide if the web site should go ahead and if money will be put aside for the next years’s precept.
Ian Sheldon, owner of Web Design Company eSoftware Solutions outlined how the web site would work.
Cheadle is one of the few town’s without an up-to-date online portal for visitors from across the world.
Mr Sheldon revealed that 65% of households in the United Kingdom are now online.
He said: “We want to create an engaging, eye catching online portal for the town. There will be three main areas of the web site that will focus on council related matters, tourism and local businesses. It is an opportunity to rebrand Cheadle as an online entity.”
Deputy Mayor Mike Maryon said: “There is so much going on in the town, and we are building up to the Pugin celebrations in 2012. In this day and age it is difficult to find a town without a web site, but we are lagging behind. This is an important development for the town.”
Town Councillors will now decide if the web site should go ahead and if money will be put aside for the next years’s precept.
Wednesday, 15 October 2008
What is SEO, really?
Search Engine Optimisation is the process of configuring a website so that it has a chance to show up in a search result for a particular phrase. In other words it is our way of telling Google, Yahoo, or MSN what we think our site is about. Many of the search engines have a slightly different formula for how they determine these results. But the short version is that they look at different factors of each website page, rank them and then give those results to you.
Why is SEO Important?
One word sums it up - competition. Depending on what study you read, there are as many as 20 billion web pages being indexed at any given time. The major search engines do their best to go through these pages and catalog them so that they can tell you about it if you use their website to search. With so many website pages out there competing for similar phrases it is absolutely critical to make sure you are using every tool at your disposal to make sure your customers can find you when they are looking.
OK, So What Should I Be Doing for SEO On My Site?
The good news is that doing SEO correctly is not complicated. The bad news is that it is time consuming and requires regular attention in order to maintain results. Our advice is to ethically follow these simple guidelines for best long-term results:
Good site structure - as simple as this sounds many people overlook this. Every day we see sites with heavy flash animation, dated frame designs, pages that don't work and broken links. The bottom line is that if you can't easily navigate a site without problems chances are the search engines can't either. And if a search engine can't go through your site you have absolutely no chance of showing up for a key phrase - no matter how pretty the flash.
Good meta-data - Clients often draw a blank with this one. Meta-data is geek-speak for the page titles, page descriptions and keywords that you enter for each page. Each page on your website should have a unique title and description that summarizes what that page is about.
We often see 2 problems with meta-data. The first is that it is simply overlooked. I am stunned at how many sites have www.yoursite.com as the page title for every page - that's wasting prime online real estate.
The 2nd problem is spam. Putting in a page title or description that does not accurately match what the page is about is considered "spamming" a search engine. Doing this will get your page thrown out of the index and ruin any chance of showing up for a key phrase. Relevant content - People seem to understand that good content is really what they are looking for when they search for something. By "relevant" we mean that the content is specific to the topic in question and recently updated. More and more we are seeing sites that have regular updates or blogs showing up higher in the search results than sites which have larger quantities of older, "stale" content on them.
Our recommendation is to add well-written, grammatically correct and spell-checked content to your website on a regular basis. This ensures that, over time, your site will become a "resource" to those looking for phrases related to your business.
Responsible link building - This is perhaps the least understood part of SEO. In a nutshell search engines consider a link from another website to your website as a popularity vote. Think of it as power rankings for websites. In general the more sites which link to yours, the better; as this shows your site is relevant to the given topic.
Sadly though link building, like keywords and meta-data, have been abused by many site owners with schemes such as link farms where sites are setup simply to house links to other sites. We encourage careful and responsible link building with sites that are related to yours or through appropriate directories and article banks.
So there you have it - SEO explained for people with real jobs. Like most things it's not really that hard but it requires discipline which is where most people get off track. If you would like help with SEO for your website, or other online business needs we would love to hear from you.
Why is SEO Important?
One word sums it up - competition. Depending on what study you read, there are as many as 20 billion web pages being indexed at any given time. The major search engines do their best to go through these pages and catalog them so that they can tell you about it if you use their website to search. With so many website pages out there competing for similar phrases it is absolutely critical to make sure you are using every tool at your disposal to make sure your customers can find you when they are looking.
OK, So What Should I Be Doing for SEO On My Site?
The good news is that doing SEO correctly is not complicated. The bad news is that it is time consuming and requires regular attention in order to maintain results. Our advice is to ethically follow these simple guidelines for best long-term results:
Good site structure - as simple as this sounds many people overlook this. Every day we see sites with heavy flash animation, dated frame designs, pages that don't work and broken links. The bottom line is that if you can't easily navigate a site without problems chances are the search engines can't either. And if a search engine can't go through your site you have absolutely no chance of showing up for a key phrase - no matter how pretty the flash.
Good meta-data - Clients often draw a blank with this one. Meta-data is geek-speak for the page titles, page descriptions and keywords that you enter for each page. Each page on your website should have a unique title and description that summarizes what that page is about.
We often see 2 problems with meta-data. The first is that it is simply overlooked. I am stunned at how many sites have www.yoursite.com as the page title for every page - that's wasting prime online real estate.
The 2nd problem is spam. Putting in a page title or description that does not accurately match what the page is about is considered "spamming" a search engine. Doing this will get your page thrown out of the index and ruin any chance of showing up for a key phrase. Relevant content - People seem to understand that good content is really what they are looking for when they search for something. By "relevant" we mean that the content is specific to the topic in question and recently updated. More and more we are seeing sites that have regular updates or blogs showing up higher in the search results than sites which have larger quantities of older, "stale" content on them.
Our recommendation is to add well-written, grammatically correct and spell-checked content to your website on a regular basis. This ensures that, over time, your site will become a "resource" to those looking for phrases related to your business.
Responsible link building - This is perhaps the least understood part of SEO. In a nutshell search engines consider a link from another website to your website as a popularity vote. Think of it as power rankings for websites. In general the more sites which link to yours, the better; as this shows your site is relevant to the given topic.
Sadly though link building, like keywords and meta-data, have been abused by many site owners with schemes such as link farms where sites are setup simply to house links to other sites. We encourage careful and responsible link building with sites that are related to yours or through appropriate directories and article banks.
So there you have it - SEO explained for people with real jobs. Like most things it's not really that hard but it requires discipline which is where most people get off track. If you would like help with SEO for your website, or other online business needs we would love to hear from you.
Wednesday, 8 October 2008
Giving SEO the time it deserves
I have posted similar articles to this before, but I feel that this topic needs to be drilled into the minds of people who think that Search Engine Optimisation happens overnight (you know who you are!) Recently we've worked with a company that suffer from overly eager, impatient management. Their campaigns followed solid tactics, stuck to best practices and even had some smart, creative elements, but after a month of middling results, they have ended up seeking third party advice. Obviously these aren't the sort of people with the persistance and patience to see things through - fair enough.
To be fair, even I make the mistake sometimes of wanting things to magically happen on the spot, but the difference is that I understand SEO and I run my business in such a way that it doesn't rely on the internet (which fool would?). However, SEO doesn't function in the "I want it now" fashion - never has, and I doubt it ever will. Rare, in fact, are the sites who can make sweeping changes, launch viral content, start some link building campaigns and see immediate success. Why? Lots of reasons:
The engines need time to re-crawl your site. For a lucky few, this might take only days or a couple weeks, but for many large sites and even for smaller sites that aren't terrificly high on Google's "must crawl" list, we've seen as much as 3-4 months pass before a site's pages are fully updated.
The engines have to crawl all your link partners, too! If you've recently launched some great widgets or viral material or a new content licensing system, it's going to be a solid wait before you experience the full impact of that work.
The algorithms reward patience. Even if the engines start to see those links right away, it might be a few weeks or months before the algorithm rewards the full weight and heft of their existence. Why? Because search engines learned years ago that manipulative link building is often temporary, while high quality links stand the test of time. This issue is particularly true of new domains (or newly moved domains), so be aware that you might have to earn some trust over time before you feel all the positive ranking impacts of links.
It takes time to attract links. Last, but not least, on our list of reasons is the growth of links themselves. If you've just started new content, design and promotion strategies to attract links, you not only need time for those campaigns to reach their targets, you need to wait for the links to start rolling in (and then get counted by the engines). This can be a long, tough slog, and understandably, a lot of site owners and SEOs give up without ever getting the full benefit of their work.
Patience can be a challenging and rare quality to find in a manager or indeed any person. Just remember - if you're spending money on PPC, which receives something between 12-20% of the clicks on the SERPs, those organic listings can produce a lot of value. Give your SEOs and your campaigns a minimum of 3-4 months to show positive effects and make sure you watch total search referrals (not just rankings for your pet keyword search phrases). Once you start to see increased traffic from the engines for long tail and related phrases, you know you're on the right path.
To be fair, even I make the mistake sometimes of wanting things to magically happen on the spot, but the difference is that I understand SEO and I run my business in such a way that it doesn't rely on the internet (which fool would?). However, SEO doesn't function in the "I want it now" fashion - never has, and I doubt it ever will. Rare, in fact, are the sites who can make sweeping changes, launch viral content, start some link building campaigns and see immediate success. Why? Lots of reasons:
The engines need time to re-crawl your site. For a lucky few, this might take only days or a couple weeks, but for many large sites and even for smaller sites that aren't terrificly high on Google's "must crawl" list, we've seen as much as 3-4 months pass before a site's pages are fully updated.
The engines have to crawl all your link partners, too! If you've recently launched some great widgets or viral material or a new content licensing system, it's going to be a solid wait before you experience the full impact of that work.
The algorithms reward patience. Even if the engines start to see those links right away, it might be a few weeks or months before the algorithm rewards the full weight and heft of their existence. Why? Because search engines learned years ago that manipulative link building is often temporary, while high quality links stand the test of time. This issue is particularly true of new domains (or newly moved domains), so be aware that you might have to earn some trust over time before you feel all the positive ranking impacts of links.
It takes time to attract links. Last, but not least, on our list of reasons is the growth of links themselves. If you've just started new content, design and promotion strategies to attract links, you not only need time for those campaigns to reach their targets, you need to wait for the links to start rolling in (and then get counted by the engines). This can be a long, tough slog, and understandably, a lot of site owners and SEOs give up without ever getting the full benefit of their work.
Patience can be a challenging and rare quality to find in a manager or indeed any person. Just remember - if you're spending money on PPC, which receives something between 12-20% of the clicks on the SERPs, those organic listings can produce a lot of value. Give your SEOs and your campaigns a minimum of 3-4 months to show positive effects and make sure you watch total search referrals (not just rankings for your pet keyword search phrases). Once you start to see increased traffic from the engines for long tail and related phrases, you know you're on the right path.
Monday, 29 September 2008
Is my domain name going to affect Search Engine Optimisation performance?
Deep within the science of Search Engine Optimisation, there are many things that can affect the ranking of your web site or blog. From little things such as Meta Tags and keywords, through to long term campaigns such as link building strategies. Have you ever thought about how you can put your domain name to good use?
Some SEO Consultants say that the domain name doesn’t really matter. However, many say that it does and I would have to agree with them. It’s not only the name of the domain, and including keywords but also the locality of the domain. For example a web site in English would be better with a .COM or .CO.UK domain extension.
The arguement then arises with regards to the value of a keyword domain name vs a branded domain name. Keyword domain names definitely help your rankings for that specific keyword or phrase, but this doesn’t mean that a branded domain name won’t.
Numbers in a domain name just dont really work, because people will very rarely use numbers in their search criteria. Dashes are still widely recognised in the SEO world and are therefore still acceptable
An area that could be opened up for debate is the length of registration of your domain. I personally beleive this is extremely important because it tells the search engines that the domain is more likely to be there in the next 2,4,5 or 1. On the same note, when you register a domain its always useful to find out if it has been registered before and see if it has been banned for any reason. Rebuilding the reputation of a banned domain name is a next to impossible task.
As you can see, there are many different ways that a domain name can help or hinder your SEO campaign and this is just one tiny part of Search Engine Optimisation.
Some SEO Consultants say that the domain name doesn’t really matter. However, many say that it does and I would have to agree with them. It’s not only the name of the domain, and including keywords but also the locality of the domain. For example a web site in English would be better with a .COM or .CO.UK domain extension.
The arguement then arises with regards to the value of a keyword domain name vs a branded domain name. Keyword domain names definitely help your rankings for that specific keyword or phrase, but this doesn’t mean that a branded domain name won’t.
Numbers in a domain name just dont really work, because people will very rarely use numbers in their search criteria. Dashes are still widely recognised in the SEO world and are therefore still acceptable
An area that could be opened up for debate is the length of registration of your domain. I personally beleive this is extremely important because it tells the search engines that the domain is more likely to be there in the next 2,4,5 or 1. On the same note, when you register a domain its always useful to find out if it has been registered before and see if it has been banned for any reason. Rebuilding the reputation of a banned domain name is a next to impossible task.
As you can see, there are many different ways that a domain name can help or hinder your SEO campaign and this is just one tiny part of Search Engine Optimisation.
Saturday, 27 September 2008
Why do so many small businesses fail?
According to the Small Business Administration, two-thirds of new businesses survive for around two years, and only 44 percent make it to four years. Why some businesses fail and why some succeed is often up for discussion, although there are some common mistakes that can sink a business in no time.
Give your new business venture a fighting chance by taking care to avoid these fatal errors:
Rushing into things you can't afford. Wanting to be the first to market with a new product, taking on added overhead, and the need to demonstrate revenue growth to anxious investors can all induce businesses to overextend themselves financially. Rather than head down this path, start with realistic goals, plan your sales channels within your budget (i.e don't spend money you haven't got on a web site and eCommerce facility and then rely on it to bring in revenue from day one) and allow yourself to grow as needs dictate. Let your revenue, not pie-in-the-sky projections, dictate your business decisions in terms of growth and strategy.
Poor capital structure. Look at the businesses that fail and you'll find that many of them took on too much debt. Learn to pay strict attention to your finances and keep careful records of all money coming in and going out. Even if everything's coming up roses today, trouble can still be right around the corner.
Poor Products in a flooded market. Trying to sell a sub standard product in a flooded market is a recipe for disaster. Make sure that your product works, and that it can compete in a volatile market. Remember, when selling on the internet that product appearance is everything. If your product looks better than its competition and you can easily distinguish that it will be an excellent investment for its intended use, then you are already on to a winner.
Lack of reserve funds. Failing to prepare for volatile markets and uncontrollable costs like energy-rate increases, materials, labor, natural disasters, and the like is another top reason many businesses fail. Make sure you protect your investment and keep enough reserve cash to carry you through market downtrends and seasonal slowness.
Bad business location. Don't let a cheap lease tempt you into opening your doors in the wrong neighborhood if your gut is telling you it's not right. Key factors to consider include competition (how many other similar businesses are located nearby?) and accessibility (is the area well served by freeways, public transportation, and foot traffic?).
Poor execution and internal controls. Poor customer service, accounting controls, and overall employee incompetence can all combine to bring down the ship. Make sure you and your employees place a premium on customer service to generate repeat business, establish protocols for how tasks should be accomplished, and remain continually in the know on all things accounting.
An inadequate business plan. Your business plan is your blueprint for success. A well-thought-out business plan forces you to think about the future and the challenges you'll face. It also forces you to consider your financial needs, your marketing and management plans, your competition, and your overall strategy for coming out on top.
Failure to change with the times. The only constant in business is change. Once mighty behemoths fall to earth while unknown upstarts rise to prominence. The ability to recognize opportunities and be flexible enough to adapt to changing times is a key ingredient to surviving and even prospering in the toughest business climate. Therefore, learn how to wear multiple hats and to generate new interests and areas of expertise.
Ineffective marketing and self-promotion. Customers can't walk through your front door if they don't know you're there. Learn how to cost-effectively advertise and promote your business through such tried-and-true methods as direct mail, ads in local newspapers, Search Engine Optimisation for targetted marketing, Web sites, blogs, even by sponsoring a local little league team. The number of advertising and promotional ideas that exist is only limited by your own creativity. Heavily relying on one form of marketing is asking trouble from the start.
Underestimating the competition. Consumer loyalty doesn't just happen; you have to earn it. If you don't take care of your customers, your competition will. Watch your competition as closely as you do your own employees.
Give your new business venture a fighting chance by taking care to avoid these fatal errors:
Rushing into things you can't afford. Wanting to be the first to market with a new product, taking on added overhead, and the need to demonstrate revenue growth to anxious investors can all induce businesses to overextend themselves financially. Rather than head down this path, start with realistic goals, plan your sales channels within your budget (i.e don't spend money you haven't got on a web site and eCommerce facility and then rely on it to bring in revenue from day one) and allow yourself to grow as needs dictate. Let your revenue, not pie-in-the-sky projections, dictate your business decisions in terms of growth and strategy.
Poor capital structure. Look at the businesses that fail and you'll find that many of them took on too much debt. Learn to pay strict attention to your finances and keep careful records of all money coming in and going out. Even if everything's coming up roses today, trouble can still be right around the corner.
Poor Products in a flooded market. Trying to sell a sub standard product in a flooded market is a recipe for disaster. Make sure that your product works, and that it can compete in a volatile market. Remember, when selling on the internet that product appearance is everything. If your product looks better than its competition and you can easily distinguish that it will be an excellent investment for its intended use, then you are already on to a winner.
Lack of reserve funds. Failing to prepare for volatile markets and uncontrollable costs like energy-rate increases, materials, labor, natural disasters, and the like is another top reason many businesses fail. Make sure you protect your investment and keep enough reserve cash to carry you through market downtrends and seasonal slowness.
Bad business location. Don't let a cheap lease tempt you into opening your doors in the wrong neighborhood if your gut is telling you it's not right. Key factors to consider include competition (how many other similar businesses are located nearby?) and accessibility (is the area well served by freeways, public transportation, and foot traffic?).
Poor execution and internal controls. Poor customer service, accounting controls, and overall employee incompetence can all combine to bring down the ship. Make sure you and your employees place a premium on customer service to generate repeat business, establish protocols for how tasks should be accomplished, and remain continually in the know on all things accounting.
An inadequate business plan. Your business plan is your blueprint for success. A well-thought-out business plan forces you to think about the future and the challenges you'll face. It also forces you to consider your financial needs, your marketing and management plans, your competition, and your overall strategy for coming out on top.
Failure to change with the times. The only constant in business is change. Once mighty behemoths fall to earth while unknown upstarts rise to prominence. The ability to recognize opportunities and be flexible enough to adapt to changing times is a key ingredient to surviving and even prospering in the toughest business climate. Therefore, learn how to wear multiple hats and to generate new interests and areas of expertise.
Ineffective marketing and self-promotion. Customers can't walk through your front door if they don't know you're there. Learn how to cost-effectively advertise and promote your business through such tried-and-true methods as direct mail, ads in local newspapers, Search Engine Optimisation for targetted marketing, Web sites, blogs, even by sponsoring a local little league team. The number of advertising and promotional ideas that exist is only limited by your own creativity. Heavily relying on one form of marketing is asking trouble from the start.
Underestimating the competition. Consumer loyalty doesn't just happen; you have to earn it. If you don't take care of your customers, your competition will. Watch your competition as closely as you do your own employees.
Thursday, 18 September 2008
Visability, Usability and Accessibility....
. . . Are all factors that determine the success of a website. Creating a web site that is accessible to all users, easy to use and easy to find increases your potential for better rankings, better sales and more qualified users.
As government and corporate awareness is increased it is critical that you create your website to be open to all users of the internet, taking into account any handicaps the end users might have, or, with the increase in mobile devices, what device and platform they are using to view your site.
An accessible web site can also reap rewards when it comes to Search Engine Optimisation. It can help your Search Engine Ranking Position which, in turn, increases sales or leads.
No matter how you put it, the Search Engines are the most handicapped users out there. They can't see or hear and they can't read into images on your site. They rely on good quality, relative content to gain an understanding on what your site is about.
As we always say, a good web designer will always tell you that your site needs to have at least one goal, and a good Search Engine ranking is an excellent place to start. This can lead to increased business from sales from people who actively search for your product or services.
Once a visitor has clicked through to your web site you need to make it easy for them to achieve the next goal or making a purchase. Make sure that the site is completely accessible for the end user.
In a nut shell, the three terms mean that:
a) Your web site is easy to find (Visibility)
b) Your web site is easy to use (Accessibility)
c) Your web site is easy to understand (Usability)
If you still are at a loss when it comes to ideas on how to implement these standards, think about frustrations that you have experienced when visiting web sites. How would you make life easier for you?
As government and corporate awareness is increased it is critical that you create your website to be open to all users of the internet, taking into account any handicaps the end users might have, or, with the increase in mobile devices, what device and platform they are using to view your site.
An accessible web site can also reap rewards when it comes to Search Engine Optimisation. It can help your Search Engine Ranking Position which, in turn, increases sales or leads.
No matter how you put it, the Search Engines are the most handicapped users out there. They can't see or hear and they can't read into images on your site. They rely on good quality, relative content to gain an understanding on what your site is about.
As we always say, a good web designer will always tell you that your site needs to have at least one goal, and a good Search Engine ranking is an excellent place to start. This can lead to increased business from sales from people who actively search for your product or services.
Once a visitor has clicked through to your web site you need to make it easy for them to achieve the next goal or making a purchase. Make sure that the site is completely accessible for the end user.
In a nut shell, the three terms mean that:
a) Your web site is easy to find (Visibility)
b) Your web site is easy to use (Accessibility)
c) Your web site is easy to understand (Usability)
If you still are at a loss when it comes to ideas on how to implement these standards, think about frustrations that you have experienced when visiting web sites. How would you make life easier for you?
Wednesday, 17 September 2008
PayPal. Ignore it at your peril.
Whilst we accept that PayPal isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, we highly recommend it as a solid and affordable online payment solution for any Internet business.
In today’s world we believe that no online merchant can afford not to offer PayPal as a payment solution. If you don’t offer PayPal payments you are throwing away business.
This is why:
Like it or not, PayPal is the largest Payment standard on the Internet. It’s what everyone uses. The awareness factor of PayPal has increased significantly since people have become more comfortable with buying online.
People often treat their PayPal accounts like play money. People leave money in their PayPal account so they can buy things online. Since this money isn’t in the customers bank account it often doesn’t feel like they are using ‘real money’.
The growth of eBay has created an population of PayPal dependant customers. eBay is the largest eCommerce site on the web and the integration of PayPal as the preferred method of Payment provides people with a payment solution they can trust.
In summary, having PayPal as a payment option on your site will increase your sales. People need an outlet in which to spend their “play money”, and as a business if you don’t offer this option you will lose out on business.
In today’s world we believe that no online merchant can afford not to offer PayPal as a payment solution. If you don’t offer PayPal payments you are throwing away business.
This is why:
Like it or not, PayPal is the largest Payment standard on the Internet. It’s what everyone uses. The awareness factor of PayPal has increased significantly since people have become more comfortable with buying online.
People often treat their PayPal accounts like play money. People leave money in their PayPal account so they can buy things online. Since this money isn’t in the customers bank account it often doesn’t feel like they are using ‘real money’.
The growth of eBay has created an population of PayPal dependant customers. eBay is the largest eCommerce site on the web and the integration of PayPal as the preferred method of Payment provides people with a payment solution they can trust.
In summary, having PayPal as a payment option on your site will increase your sales. People need an outlet in which to spend their “play money”, and as a business if you don’t offer this option you will lose out on business.
Tuesday, 16 September 2008
Search Engine Optimisation. Preparing for the UK recession.
Analysts in the U.K. are predicting an economic recession in the coming months, and with the cold, harsh winter looking bleaker than ever, the chances are you are thinking of ways to create new revenue streams to increase the number of customers and sales for your business.
As it goes, the definition of an economic recession is that there is zero or negative growith in Gross Domestic Product (or GDP). This in turn leads to unemployment through job losses, spending is cut and so on.
If you don’t currently trade on-line, now might be a good time to start thinking about it. eSoftware Solutions offer an all-in-one eCommerce solution which will put you in full control of your online store. Every main stream company owner will tell you that there are three ways to increase your profit:
* Increasing the number of customers
* Increasing the margin on products being sold
* Increasing the frequency in which products are sold
Taking these points into consideration, Search Engine Optimisation sits perfectly over all three. By driving targeted traffic to your web site, you are getting visitors who are actually looking for your products. If you can work with a good SEO Company you will see the growth of new customer numbers, who in turn will purchase your products.
Statistics show that more and more people are buying online, rather than going to high street stores. This not only means that SEO has become more and more cost effective, but it also means than the return on investment for SEO can be huge.
As with any advertising, SEO is actually only any good if its a continued investment.
So if you are looking to tackle the forthcoming recession head on, then give us a call on 0845 838 8588 or email info@esoftware-solutions.com for more information on our SEO services and how they can benefit you and your business.
As it goes, the definition of an economic recession is that there is zero or negative growith in Gross Domestic Product (or GDP). This in turn leads to unemployment through job losses, spending is cut and so on.
If you don’t currently trade on-line, now might be a good time to start thinking about it. eSoftware Solutions offer an all-in-one eCommerce solution which will put you in full control of your online store. Every main stream company owner will tell you that there are three ways to increase your profit:
* Increasing the number of customers
* Increasing the margin on products being sold
* Increasing the frequency in which products are sold
Taking these points into consideration, Search Engine Optimisation sits perfectly over all three. By driving targeted traffic to your web site, you are getting visitors who are actually looking for your products. If you can work with a good SEO Company you will see the growth of new customer numbers, who in turn will purchase your products.
Statistics show that more and more people are buying online, rather than going to high street stores. This not only means that SEO has become more and more cost effective, but it also means than the return on investment for SEO can be huge.
As with any advertising, SEO is actually only any good if its a continued investment.
So if you are looking to tackle the forthcoming recession head on, then give us a call on 0845 838 8588 or email info@esoftware-solutions.com for more information on our SEO services and how they can benefit you and your business.
Monday, 15 September 2008
100 SEO Days until Christmas....
I know, I know. I hate how Christmas comes earlier every year. The Christmas decorations appear in the stores in October with the Christmas carols playing overhead.
However, as an online retailer, whatever the thoughts of those with a lengthy present-buying list, for marketers and online retailers this festive period could be in for a treat.
The Interactive Media in Retail Group has published statistics that suggests 68 per cent of consumers are more likely to shop online this year, while almost eight in ten people plan for at least half of their presents to be bought online.
According to the report, even those consumers not buying gifts through the web are likely to be researching their purchases online, with 86 per cent using it as a research tool.
100 days is a long time in the world of search engine optimisation (SEO). Act now to make sure that when the consumers turn to the web their brands are highly visible, findable and possess a decent online reputation.
This Christmas is set to be an extremely profitable one for the web as cash-strapped consumers hit the internet to hunt down bargains. A little investment in SEO now and paid advertising closer to the time will reward web-savvy firms.
However, as an online retailer, whatever the thoughts of those with a lengthy present-buying list, for marketers and online retailers this festive period could be in for a treat.
The Interactive Media in Retail Group has published statistics that suggests 68 per cent of consumers are more likely to shop online this year, while almost eight in ten people plan for at least half of their presents to be bought online.
According to the report, even those consumers not buying gifts through the web are likely to be researching their purchases online, with 86 per cent using it as a research tool.
100 days is a long time in the world of search engine optimisation (SEO). Act now to make sure that when the consumers turn to the web their brands are highly visible, findable and possess a decent online reputation.
This Christmas is set to be an extremely profitable one for the web as cash-strapped consumers hit the internet to hunt down bargains. A little investment in SEO now and paid advertising closer to the time will reward web-savvy firms.
Your website...... untapping potential
How many companies or employees think to tell or remind clients about their website when they are talking to them? While they have their attention, this is the time to suggest they go there and sign up for the companies's really useful newsletter or check out the blog that is updated regularly with good information. Maybe the best way to get these people to the site is to tell them about how they can get to updates and downloads on matters any time of day or night; or even a shared work area if you are moving towards interactive solutions like Microsoft SharePoint? Maybe even suggesting that they add the site to their "favourites" and then back this up with some follow up having sown the seed.
Two telling questions for you ...
1. Is there anything on your new client or new business forms that would prompt your employee to mention the website when they are talking to a client at this stage? Do they know what they should be saying about it?
2. Do you always send an email to your new clients (having gathered their email address on that new instruction form or screen if they are happy to communicate some of the time by email - do we ask that question?) with a link to your website shortly after they have instructed you on a new matter? The easier you make it for them to link into your website the better - and this is the easiest way. Sending a link is better than sending a letter.
For those you don't already know ... to get them using it, you should be targeting a top 30 position on search engines like Google to begin with, as research has shown that people rarely look beyond three pages of search results.
There are many businesses out there that claim to give you No.1 spot on Google, or a top ten position on major search engines but how can they guarantee this when its not in their hands? Say, for example, that 20 Internet companies approach this SEO firm - their guarantee already hits a stumbling block. Search Engine Optimisation is often considered a science. The market is changing all the time with the search engines changing the goal posts on what it looks for in a website.
It's important that you look at SEO as an ongoing investment in order to get a real return for your money. Typically, enter an agreement where your site is reviewed once a quarter, or at least twice a year. If possible request a sample report to see what analysis is being performed on your site during these reviews.
Here are just a few examples of things you need to be do to get up those rankings. How does your website fare on each of them?
1. Get the right balance of keywords on your site, but remember that there is a fine balance between optimising your site for the search engines and legible content.
2. Reciprocate links with your business partners. Popularity breeds popularity!
3. Think about the structure of your website in terms of where pages are stored and what they are called. If you aren't sure about this then contact your designer.
4. Research phrases for your core services for the last 30-60 days. This is a service that eSoftware Solutions can provide for you.
5. Once you achieve a healthy ranking don't rest on your laurels. Search Engine Optimisation isn't a quick fix to promoting your website, it's an ongoing investment.
Two telling questions for you ...
1. Is there anything on your new client or new business forms that would prompt your employee to mention the website when they are talking to a client at this stage? Do they know what they should be saying about it?
2. Do you always send an email to your new clients (having gathered their email address on that new instruction form or screen if they are happy to communicate some of the time by email - do we ask that question?) with a link to your website shortly after they have instructed you on a new matter? The easier you make it for them to link into your website the better - and this is the easiest way. Sending a link is better than sending a letter.
For those you don't already know ... to get them using it, you should be targeting a top 30 position on search engines like Google to begin with, as research has shown that people rarely look beyond three pages of search results.
There are many businesses out there that claim to give you No.1 spot on Google, or a top ten position on major search engines but how can they guarantee this when its not in their hands? Say, for example, that 20 Internet companies approach this SEO firm - their guarantee already hits a stumbling block. Search Engine Optimisation is often considered a science. The market is changing all the time with the search engines changing the goal posts on what it looks for in a website.
It's important that you look at SEO as an ongoing investment in order to get a real return for your money. Typically, enter an agreement where your site is reviewed once a quarter, or at least twice a year. If possible request a sample report to see what analysis is being performed on your site during these reviews.
Here are just a few examples of things you need to be do to get up those rankings. How does your website fare on each of them?
1. Get the right balance of keywords on your site, but remember that there is a fine balance between optimising your site for the search engines and legible content.
2. Reciprocate links with your business partners. Popularity breeds popularity!
3. Think about the structure of your website in terms of where pages are stored and what they are called. If you aren't sure about this then contact your designer.
4. Research phrases for your core services for the last 30-60 days. This is a service that eSoftware Solutions can provide for you.
5. Once you achieve a healthy ranking don't rest on your laurels. Search Engine Optimisation isn't a quick fix to promoting your website, it's an ongoing investment.
eSoftware Solutions gets site links....
We are really excited here at eSoftware Solutions. Google has now crawled our site and built some page links.
What are site links?
Sitelinks are additional links Google sometimes generates from site contents in order to help users navigate a web site site. Sitelinks are periodically generated from your site's contents, if Google finds the site easy to crawl.
Site links aren't static. They make change from time to time, especially if the web site contains updated content.
What are site links?
Sitelinks are additional links Google sometimes generates from site contents in order to help users navigate a web site site. Sitelinks are periodically generated from your site's contents, if Google finds the site easy to crawl.
Site links aren't static. They make change from time to time, especially if the web site contains updated content.
Sunday, 14 September 2008
SEO... How long before I start to results?
Timescales for SEO can vary based on a number of different factors such as:
- The choice of keywords
- Keyword Competition
- The age of the domain name
- The content of the web site
- Page rank
I recently came across an article that set out a good plan for SEO, stating that the best solution would be to try and plan and start an SEO campaign 1 year in advance of you actually counting on that web site driving any revenue.
Everything in SEO requires some serious planning in advance and if executed properly and with patience will bring some wonderful returns.
- The choice of keywords
- Keyword Competition
- The age of the domain name
- The content of the web site
- Page rank
I recently came across an article that set out a good plan for SEO, stating that the best solution would be to try and plan and start an SEO campaign 1 year in advance of you actually counting on that web site driving any revenue.
Everything in SEO requires some serious planning in advance and if executed properly and with patience will bring some wonderful returns.
Friday, 12 September 2008
The use of SEO terms.....
We have a problem in the search marketing industry, and it's getting big enough to potentially threaten our livelihoods. The problem is especially dangerous in that customers seeking out SEO services are more confused than ever, which is unfortunate since SEO is no longer a new industry.
A big reason for the confusion is the misuse of industry terms. This wouldn't be so bad if it was just the general public using incorrect definitions. What makes the problem serious is that it's primary cause is people in the SEO industry who use words incorrectly.
Here are some common reasons terms get misused and why it's important for people to get them right:
100% Organic -
We have a problem in the search marketing industry, and it's getting big enough to potentially threaten our livelihoods. The problem is especially dangerous in that customers seeking out SEO services are more confused than ever, which is unfortunate since SEO is no longer a new industry.
A big reason for the confusion is the misuse of industry terms. This wouldn't be so bad if it was just the general public using incorrect definitions. What makes the problem serious is that it's primary cause is people in the SEO industry who use words incorrectly.
Here are some common reasons terms get misused and why it's important for people to get them right:
No standard definitions
Many of the misuses of SEO terms happen because people simply don't agree on their definitions. The most extreme example of this is the phrase "search engine optimization." Much of the bad reputation in the SEO industry stems from the fact that ordinary folks are confused by what search engine optimisation actually is, how you do it, and what its purpose is in the larger scheme of things. While company A will tell you that SEO is "submitting websites to the search engines" (blech), company B will tell you it's "manipulating search engine results to provide a more favorable listing for a specific website" (also blech).
Both of those definitions do a huge disservice to those trying to figure out what SEO is and whether or not they need it for their websites. It also makes it difficult for the rest of us to sell true, professional search engine optimisation services, which in part consists of fixing broken websites. After all, if someone thinks they simply need someone to submit their website or their keywords to Google and they will magically start appearing in the search results, they're not going to be interested in having an SEO agency fiddling with their website's structure and wording to make that happen. They'll instead find a cheap, incompetent SEO to do what they think they need. When nothing happens, they'll be one of the majority that believes SEO is crap, impossible, a rip-off, or that it just doesn't work for their particular industry.
But if the correct definition of SEO was being used consistently by all parties, more people would understand what it is and why it's necessary--and more so, why it's hugely valuable.
Lack of knowledge or just plain laziness
Too many articles, blog posts, forum threads and speaker presentations use words incorrectly. How many times have you seen people talk about getting a website to rank? Since the search engines judge the relevancy of individual web pages (not sites), nobody gets a website to rank. They may optimise the website as a whole, but it's the individual pages that will show up in the search results--or they won't. The reason why it's important to use these terms and the many other mis-used ones correctly, is again because it provides potential clients with the wrong expectation of what SEO is all about. If they think that their entire website is what will end up ranking, they end up with an incorrect picture of what needs to be done, or they think it's a simple practice of optimizing just their home page. In theory it sounds a lot easier to rank one website than to rank 1000 web pages, no? If only.
Old wives tales
What I mean here are phrases such as "search engine penalty." People bandy this one about to describe all sorts of things beyond the scope of what it actually means. From pages not ranking to duplicate web page content. (God forbid they just suck at SEO!)
The true definition of a search engine penalty is something that a search engine hits a web page with when it's determined (either algorithmically or manually) that the page has crossed the line from search engine optimisation to search engine spam. And believe it or not, it's not easy to spam the search engine by mistake. Most people know when they've crossed the line. Problems arise, however, when people use an incorrect definition of SEO to begin with, as above. If one believes that SEO is about tricking the search engines, then one can most definitely find pages of their website penalized.
Along the same line is the term "over-optimisation." There is, of course, no such thing since optimization itself means that everything is optimal. So if you keyword stuff, and find your page's ranking goes down or disappears completely, it's because you've implemented search engine spam on your page, not over-optimized it.
While I know that it will be impossible to get everyone in the search marketing industry to use all terms correctly (or to even agree with what the definitions are), my hope is that this article will at least encourage people to think carefully about the way they use industry words when writing or speaking with others. After all, if the very people who make up our industry can't get it right, how will others?
Article Source
A big reason for the confusion is the misuse of industry terms. This wouldn't be so bad if it was just the general public using incorrect definitions. What makes the problem serious is that it's primary cause is people in the SEO industry who use words incorrectly.
Here are some common reasons terms get misused and why it's important for people to get them right:
100% Organic -
We have a problem in the search marketing industry, and it's getting big enough to potentially threaten our livelihoods. The problem is especially dangerous in that customers seeking out SEO services are more confused than ever, which is unfortunate since SEO is no longer a new industry.
A big reason for the confusion is the misuse of industry terms. This wouldn't be so bad if it was just the general public using incorrect definitions. What makes the problem serious is that it's primary cause is people in the SEO industry who use words incorrectly.
Here are some common reasons terms get misused and why it's important for people to get them right:
No standard definitions
Many of the misuses of SEO terms happen because people simply don't agree on their definitions. The most extreme example of this is the phrase "search engine optimization." Much of the bad reputation in the SEO industry stems from the fact that ordinary folks are confused by what search engine optimisation actually is, how you do it, and what its purpose is in the larger scheme of things. While company A will tell you that SEO is "submitting websites to the search engines" (blech), company B will tell you it's "manipulating search engine results to provide a more favorable listing for a specific website" (also blech).
Both of those definitions do a huge disservice to those trying to figure out what SEO is and whether or not they need it for their websites. It also makes it difficult for the rest of us to sell true, professional search engine optimisation services, which in part consists of fixing broken websites. After all, if someone thinks they simply need someone to submit their website or their keywords to Google and they will magically start appearing in the search results, they're not going to be interested in having an SEO agency fiddling with their website's structure and wording to make that happen. They'll instead find a cheap, incompetent SEO to do what they think they need. When nothing happens, they'll be one of the majority that believes SEO is crap, impossible, a rip-off, or that it just doesn't work for their particular industry.
But if the correct definition of SEO was being used consistently by all parties, more people would understand what it is and why it's necessary--and more so, why it's hugely valuable.
Lack of knowledge or just plain laziness
Too many articles, blog posts, forum threads and speaker presentations use words incorrectly. How many times have you seen people talk about getting a website to rank? Since the search engines judge the relevancy of individual web pages (not sites), nobody gets a website to rank. They may optimise the website as a whole, but it's the individual pages that will show up in the search results--or they won't. The reason why it's important to use these terms and the many other mis-used ones correctly, is again because it provides potential clients with the wrong expectation of what SEO is all about. If they think that their entire website is what will end up ranking, they end up with an incorrect picture of what needs to be done, or they think it's a simple practice of optimizing just their home page. In theory it sounds a lot easier to rank one website than to rank 1000 web pages, no? If only.
Old wives tales
What I mean here are phrases such as "search engine penalty." People bandy this one about to describe all sorts of things beyond the scope of what it actually means. From pages not ranking to duplicate web page content. (God forbid they just suck at SEO!)
The true definition of a search engine penalty is something that a search engine hits a web page with when it's determined (either algorithmically or manually) that the page has crossed the line from search engine optimisation to search engine spam. And believe it or not, it's not easy to spam the search engine by mistake. Most people know when they've crossed the line. Problems arise, however, when people use an incorrect definition of SEO to begin with, as above. If one believes that SEO is about tricking the search engines, then one can most definitely find pages of their website penalized.
Along the same line is the term "over-optimisation." There is, of course, no such thing since optimization itself means that everything is optimal. So if you keyword stuff, and find your page's ranking goes down or disappears completely, it's because you've implemented search engine spam on your page, not over-optimized it.
While I know that it will be impossible to get everyone in the search marketing industry to use all terms correctly (or to even agree with what the definitions are), my hope is that this article will at least encourage people to think carefully about the way they use industry words when writing or speaking with others. After all, if the very people who make up our industry can't get it right, how will others?
Article Source
Monday, 8 September 2008
Patience is a virtue......
Wouldn't it be nice if Search Engine Optimisation was just about changing meta tags? In the modern age of SEO this just isn't going to happen. In order to acheive SEO success a combined effort of different long-term techniques are required - along with sustained patience. Many businesses fail due to lack of patience and understanding, and the same can be said with regards to SEO.
I have a client who expects SEO success overnight. Unfortunately this is often the case as people a) do not have the patience to reap the rewards from SEO and b) dont understand SEO.
Of course, there are quick fixes out there that can get you listed but they are more damaging in the long term as it wont be long until you are black listed for using black hat techniques, and quite frankly anyone who takes their business seriously will stay well clear of this route.
It is important to note that a business soley relying on SEO to bring in revenue will fail. SEO is an important part in a marketing strategy that should also include advertising campaigns in newsletters, television, papers and magazines. This helps attract the right customers to your site from niche markets.
Successful SEO requires long term commitment and patience. These top four tips can bring you closer to your SEO goals.
1. Conduct thorough research for keyword phrases use effective keyword programs such as Keyword Discovery or Word Tracker. The paid programs of their software will help you generate the best keyword phrases for your business.
2. Don't create a website that is overrun by graphics. Search Engine spiders will crawl right over these graphics and pass you by. Your website needs a reasonable amount of web content that is pumped full of valuable information. It needs to be clear and concise and should also convey your website message which needs to include the keywords you've selected to rank high for.
3. Relevancy Ensure that all your link anchor text and title tags are relevant to one another, as well as to the web content that is presented on your site.
4. Patience is a virtue (and often the point of failure in an SEO campaign). It will take almost a year or even longer before you begin to see any traffic from the natural results of search engines. Try not to let this get you down. Take this time to continue to improve your site and give the competition a run for their money. Eventually your persistence patience and positive thinking will pay off.
Always remember it doesn't matter how well you market your website you are not going to achieve overnight success. Just like most things in life taking the easy way out when it comes to marketing your business online isn't going to create you long lasting success. If you want an impressive future that provides you with plenty of reward, you need to spend the time and money and do things right the first time.
I have a client who expects SEO success overnight. Unfortunately this is often the case as people a) do not have the patience to reap the rewards from SEO and b) dont understand SEO.
Of course, there are quick fixes out there that can get you listed but they are more damaging in the long term as it wont be long until you are black listed for using black hat techniques, and quite frankly anyone who takes their business seriously will stay well clear of this route.
It is important to note that a business soley relying on SEO to bring in revenue will fail. SEO is an important part in a marketing strategy that should also include advertising campaigns in newsletters, television, papers and magazines. This helps attract the right customers to your site from niche markets.
Successful SEO requires long term commitment and patience. These top four tips can bring you closer to your SEO goals.
1. Conduct thorough research for keyword phrases use effective keyword programs such as Keyword Discovery or Word Tracker. The paid programs of their software will help you generate the best keyword phrases for your business.
2. Don't create a website that is overrun by graphics. Search Engine spiders will crawl right over these graphics and pass you by. Your website needs a reasonable amount of web content that is pumped full of valuable information. It needs to be clear and concise and should also convey your website message which needs to include the keywords you've selected to rank high for.
3. Relevancy Ensure that all your link anchor text and title tags are relevant to one another, as well as to the web content that is presented on your site.
4. Patience is a virtue (and often the point of failure in an SEO campaign). It will take almost a year or even longer before you begin to see any traffic from the natural results of search engines. Try not to let this get you down. Take this time to continue to improve your site and give the competition a run for their money. Eventually your persistence patience and positive thinking will pay off.
Always remember it doesn't matter how well you market your website you are not going to achieve overnight success. Just like most things in life taking the easy way out when it comes to marketing your business online isn't going to create you long lasting success. If you want an impressive future that provides you with plenty of reward, you need to spend the time and money and do things right the first time.
Friday, 29 August 2008
SEO Charges - What to expect.
How many times have you heard a client ask why they are being charged a monthly fee for your services. Unless you are actively participating in a reciprocal linking campaign, this may not seem all that apparent. Typically, it is also common for an SEO to request 15-30% annual fees upfront, and then the remaining amount spread over 11 or 12 monthly payments.
As an SEO, you understand just what is involved (and there are many aspects!) in constantly tweaking and changing a web site to achieve the ultimate SERP. Sounds like a sales pitch? Its actually true.
When a site gets code for search engine optimization (SEO), there are many elements that are looked at and modified. Most changes are behind the scenes, and will make changes to Meta Tags, page titles, file naming structure and file configuration to name a few.
What most people are not aware of is that when a site is initially coded, it has had research conducted on it, and decisions are made based on that research. However, as times change, and keyword phrases change, the coding must be updated as well.
It's in these moments that a good SEO service will make the update with no disruption to the current site, yet it will yield the benefits of the constant monitoring. If the site is already established, these changes can be seen within a few days. If the site is newer, it may take some time and patience to see anything tangible.
It's similar to web hosting. You pay a certain fee each month to make sure your site is up. But within those costs, you are paying for the latest security, Anti-virus software, equipment and software updates that protect your site. And don't forget the salary and overhead of the company or consultant.
Another reason a monthly fee is applied is that you are also paying for the expertise of the SEO service. Would you rather have a doctor operate on you that's only had 2 procedures? Or the doctor that has performed thousands of operations?
A bonus of the monthly fee is that when you add content to your site, it should pass by the SEO service so that they can ensure the friendliness of the new page for the search engines. Remember, each page is judged on it's own in the search engines, so every page is critical to the success of your site.
Just some things to keep in mind when you engage a company to perform SEO services for your site. Those people are really earning their money.
As an SEO, you understand just what is involved (and there are many aspects!) in constantly tweaking and changing a web site to achieve the ultimate SERP. Sounds like a sales pitch? Its actually true.
When a site gets code for search engine optimization (SEO), there are many elements that are looked at and modified. Most changes are behind the scenes, and will make changes to Meta Tags, page titles, file naming structure and file configuration to name a few.
What most people are not aware of is that when a site is initially coded, it has had research conducted on it, and decisions are made based on that research. However, as times change, and keyword phrases change, the coding must be updated as well.
It's in these moments that a good SEO service will make the update with no disruption to the current site, yet it will yield the benefits of the constant monitoring. If the site is already established, these changes can be seen within a few days. If the site is newer, it may take some time and patience to see anything tangible.
It's similar to web hosting. You pay a certain fee each month to make sure your site is up. But within those costs, you are paying for the latest security, Anti-virus software, equipment and software updates that protect your site. And don't forget the salary and overhead of the company or consultant.
Another reason a monthly fee is applied is that you are also paying for the expertise of the SEO service. Would you rather have a doctor operate on you that's only had 2 procedures? Or the doctor that has performed thousands of operations?
A bonus of the monthly fee is that when you add content to your site, it should pass by the SEO service so that they can ensure the friendliness of the new page for the search engines. Remember, each page is judged on it's own in the search engines, so every page is critical to the success of your site.
Just some things to keep in mind when you engage a company to perform SEO services for your site. Those people are really earning their money.
Tuesday, 5 August 2008
15 points for an SEO client to remember
Being an SEO can be really stressful at times, especially when your client doesn't understand SEO or things they know more than they do.
Below are a list of things that you should consider before working with an SEO.
1. Trust your SEO person or company
2. SEO isn't a magic overnight fix and it takes time.
3. Have reasonable expectations on what SEO can do
4. Look at SEO as a partner to bring success to your online business
5. SEO is more than ranking and traffic. It's about conversions and monitoring channels of success.
6. SEO isn't everything. Don't rely on SEO to bring in all your traffic or you could miss out on other opportunities.
8. Prepare to pay for quality work. You get what you pay for
9. Remember that adding more work to the already agreed project will cost money.
10. Learn the basics of SEO to save your SEOs time by not asking basic questions
11. Prepare to create content (or hire a copywriter, or have SEO create the content as another project)
12. Do not change what a SEO has done to your website.
13. If you want to redesign, consult an expert to keep your website SEO friendly
14. SEO isn't a one-time effort. Remember that stopping or putting your project on hold can damage all the good work done previously.
15. Ask and answer questions
---
Below are a list of things that you should consider before working with an SEO.
1. Trust your SEO person or company
2. SEO isn't a magic overnight fix and it takes time.
3. Have reasonable expectations on what SEO can do
4. Look at SEO as a partner to bring success to your online business
5. SEO is more than ranking and traffic. It's about conversions and monitoring channels of success.
6. SEO isn't everything. Don't rely on SEO to bring in all your traffic or you could miss out on other opportunities.
8. Prepare to pay for quality work. You get what you pay for
9. Remember that adding more work to the already agreed project will cost money.
10. Learn the basics of SEO to save your SEOs time by not asking basic questions
11. Prepare to create content (or hire a copywriter, or have SEO create the content as another project)
12. Do not change what a SEO has done to your website.
13. If you want to redesign, consult an expert to keep your website SEO friendly
14. SEO isn't a one-time effort. Remember that stopping or putting your project on hold can damage all the good work done previously.
15. Ask and answer questions
---
Sunday, 3 August 2008
New Fanatical SEO Web Site online now
To help promote awareness of SEO, and the services that we offer we have built a new website around our Fanatical SEO service.
Saturday, 2 August 2008
Database Driven Sites and SEO - Part 2
The next five points in our database driven sites and SEO series are as follows:
6. Too many query strings - this is a common bugbear of the professional SEO, where complicated database selections create deep levels of pages, but with seven or eight &id= type strings. Additionally, some bad development methodology can leave pages with null query strings that appear in every URL but don't do anything. The answer to this is generally URL rewrites, creating much more search engine friendly and user-friendly URLs!
7. Putting query strings in different orders when accessed through different places - this can create duplicate content issues, which can cause major penalties.
8. Not using user language to generate automated pages - if you are going to create a database driven website that uses words in the query strings (or better in rewritten URLs) make sure that you use words that will help you with SEO - if you sell widgets, make sure you are using the word widgets somewhere in the URL instead of just product= or id= - keyword research can assist with this.
9. Not allowing the meta data and title to be edited easily after the site build. It is possible to hardcode the generation of meta information into a database that doesn't allow it to be edited later. Creating a mechanism for modifying this information initially helps everyone at a later stage when the information needs changing without shoehorning it into an already developed structure.
10. Creating keyword stuffed pages by using auto-generation. Once upon a time, search engines quite liked pages with high densities of your keywords, but now these are likely to get you marked down rather than up. So be aware when creating pages that long pages with lots of your products on can create too high a density. For instance listing blue widgets, light blue widgets, navy blue widgets, sky blue widgets is going to create a page with a very dense page for the phrase "blue widgets".
These are just 10 of the most common potential optimisation pitfalls when creating dynamic websites. There are many more facets to producing a great database driven site, including user friendliness, speed, performance and security, but they all add together to make the best solution to your needs.
6. Too many query strings - this is a common bugbear of the professional SEO, where complicated database selections create deep levels of pages, but with seven or eight &id= type strings. Additionally, some bad development methodology can leave pages with null query strings that appear in every URL but don't do anything. The answer to this is generally URL rewrites, creating much more search engine friendly and user-friendly URLs!
7. Putting query strings in different orders when accessed through different places - this can create duplicate content issues, which can cause major penalties.
8. Not using user language to generate automated pages - if you are going to create a database driven website that uses words in the query strings (or better in rewritten URLs) make sure that you use words that will help you with SEO - if you sell widgets, make sure you are using the word widgets somewhere in the URL instead of just product= or id= - keyword research can assist with this.
9. Not allowing the meta data and title to be edited easily after the site build. It is possible to hardcode the generation of meta information into a database that doesn't allow it to be edited later. Creating a mechanism for modifying this information initially helps everyone at a later stage when the information needs changing without shoehorning it into an already developed structure.
10. Creating keyword stuffed pages by using auto-generation. Once upon a time, search engines quite liked pages with high densities of your keywords, but now these are likely to get you marked down rather than up. So be aware when creating pages that long pages with lots of your products on can create too high a density. For instance listing blue widgets, light blue widgets, navy blue widgets, sky blue widgets is going to create a page with a very dense page for the phrase "blue widgets".
These are just 10 of the most common potential optimisation pitfalls when creating dynamic websites. There are many more facets to producing a great database driven site, including user friendliness, speed, performance and security, but they all add together to make the best solution to your needs.
Tuesday, 29 July 2008
Carbon Neutral Web Design
eSoftware Solutions takes the environment seriously and has several initiatives towards making our company greener and reducing our carbon footprint.
In 2008 we introduced our tree planting scheme to help neutralise carbon emissions from the servers hosting our web sites. In turn this project enables our customers to lower their own carbon footprint through tree planting, which mitigates the carbon generated through the servers.
Our carbon neutral initiative is about more than just planting trees. eSoftware Solutions also has a significant recycling initiative in the office, using only paper from sustainable sources and recycling all aluminium cans, paper, cardboard and plastic through facilities provided by the local council. Wherever possible we refrain from printing documents and emails.
Carbon Neutral Web Design from eSoftware Solutions
In 2008 we introduced our tree planting scheme to help neutralise carbon emissions from the servers hosting our web sites. In turn this project enables our customers to lower their own carbon footprint through tree planting, which mitigates the carbon generated through the servers.
Our carbon neutral initiative is about more than just planting trees. eSoftware Solutions also has a significant recycling initiative in the office, using only paper from sustainable sources and recycling all aluminium cans, paper, cardboard and plastic through facilities provided by the local council. Wherever possible we refrain from printing documents and emails.
Carbon Neutral Web Design from eSoftware Solutions
Database Driven web sites and SEO
Search engine friendly websites is a very common phrase these days. Everyone knows that this is important to have a search engine friendly web site, and yet it is one of the things that is actually often overlooked.
Search engine optimisation companies actually spend a lot of their time analysing a website and removing barriers to the search engines ranking a site highly. At the web development level, it is possible to build a site that is perfectly search engine friendly. One of the hardest types of sites to get right though are database driven websites. This is the first of a two part article on the top ten mistakes made when developing database driven web sites.
1. Duplicated content - It is essential that there are sufficient content changes within database driven pages. Google is not easily fooled by duplicate content used for the sake of creating additional pages so its essential that attention is paid to the quality of content on your site.
2. Pages with duplicate page titles - the page title is a great indicator to the search engines of the primary content of the page. Whilst this is often unique on sites such as e-commerce websites, it is often overlooked in other sites, particularly where small areas of the site are generated from a database, such as news pages.
3. Pages with duplicate meta descriptions - again, this is easy to overlook and set a global or category level meta description. These give the search engines a reason to penalise your site for not giving them enough information, and again, creating a unique meta description for every page is an essential SEO task.
4. Using auto-generation of pages as a shortcut instead of creating good content. This is linked quite closely to point 1, where it is possible to create pages that have only a tiny percentage difference between them. Databases are fantastic ways of storing information, but you still need to put the work in to fill them with content. Unique information about the subject of the page will immensely help both the long tail and the ability of the search engines to determine that a page is valuable.
5. Creating pages that are hidden behind form submissions or javascript postbacks that cannot be accessed by a search engine crawler. This is far more common that is generally realised. For instance .NET creates postback links by default instead of proper links - potentially making huge sections of a site unreachable. Likewise, it is easy to hide lovely content rich areas of your site behind a drop down selector in a form that means certain areas of the site are not visible.
Part two of the article will appear tomorrow.
Search engine optimisation companies actually spend a lot of their time analysing a website and removing barriers to the search engines ranking a site highly. At the web development level, it is possible to build a site that is perfectly search engine friendly. One of the hardest types of sites to get right though are database driven websites. This is the first of a two part article on the top ten mistakes made when developing database driven web sites.
1. Duplicated content - It is essential that there are sufficient content changes within database driven pages. Google is not easily fooled by duplicate content used for the sake of creating additional pages so its essential that attention is paid to the quality of content on your site.
2. Pages with duplicate page titles - the page title is a great indicator to the search engines of the primary content of the page. Whilst this is often unique on sites such as e-commerce websites, it is often overlooked in other sites, particularly where small areas of the site are generated from a database, such as news pages.
3. Pages with duplicate meta descriptions - again, this is easy to overlook and set a global or category level meta description. These give the search engines a reason to penalise your site for not giving them enough information, and again, creating a unique meta description for every page is an essential SEO task.
4. Using auto-generation of pages as a shortcut instead of creating good content. This is linked quite closely to point 1, where it is possible to create pages that have only a tiny percentage difference between them. Databases are fantastic ways of storing information, but you still need to put the work in to fill them with content. Unique information about the subject of the page will immensely help both the long tail and the ability of the search engines to determine that a page is valuable.
5. Creating pages that are hidden behind form submissions or javascript postbacks that cannot be accessed by a search engine crawler. This is far more common that is generally realised. For instance .NET creates postback links by default instead of proper links - potentially making huge sections of a site unreachable. Likewise, it is easy to hide lovely content rich areas of your site behind a drop down selector in a form that means certain areas of the site are not visible.
Part two of the article will appear tomorrow.
Monday, 30 June 2008
How long before I get a page rank?
One of the most frequently asked questions in SEO is how long does it take for Google to assign PageRank. You might have wondered the same thing, so here is the answer to your question.
It usually takes 'at least' three full months for all of your inbound links to be calculated and counted as backlinks. Google's PageRank is calculated based on the relevancy, quantity and quality of your inbound links, as well as the number of outbound links there are on your website. Generally speaking, the fewer outbound links a website has the better.
The higher the page rank of the sources of your incoming links, the better, as Google will score your page based on the quality of the inbound links.
Google assigns page rank on a case by case basis, and there are simply too many variables to estimate what your particular page rank will be. So you just have to be patient and wait and see what Google decides to do.
What is Page Rank?
Google's Page Rank is an algorithm used by Google to assign scores to websites based on the number and quality of other websites that link to it. The purpose of PR is to give an indication of the relative importance of a particular site. Generally speaking, sites with a higher page rank will appear in the search results ahead of those sites with lower page ranks. Therefore, a high page rank is very important and desireable.
Page Rank scoring is based on a scale of 0-10. With 0 being poor and 10 being exceptional. Typically 3/4 is considered good and acheivable for most sites. The jump from a page rank of 4-5 is huge and is extremely hard to acheive. A page rank of 7-10 is generally only found on web sites for house hold / world wide brands.
The key to increasing your page rank is continually adding as many relevant, quality inbound links from respected websites as you possibly can. That's really all that you can do. The rest is up to Google.
It usually takes 'at least' three full months for all of your inbound links to be calculated and counted as backlinks. Google's PageRank is calculated based on the relevancy, quantity and quality of your inbound links, as well as the number of outbound links there are on your website. Generally speaking, the fewer outbound links a website has the better.
The higher the page rank of the sources of your incoming links, the better, as Google will score your page based on the quality of the inbound links.
Google assigns page rank on a case by case basis, and there are simply too many variables to estimate what your particular page rank will be. So you just have to be patient and wait and see what Google decides to do.
What is Page Rank?
Google's Page Rank is an algorithm used by Google to assign scores to websites based on the number and quality of other websites that link to it. The purpose of PR is to give an indication of the relative importance of a particular site. Generally speaking, sites with a higher page rank will appear in the search results ahead of those sites with lower page ranks. Therefore, a high page rank is very important and desireable.
Page Rank scoring is based on a scale of 0-10. With 0 being poor and 10 being exceptional. Typically 3/4 is considered good and acheivable for most sites. The jump from a page rank of 4-5 is huge and is extremely hard to acheive. A page rank of 7-10 is generally only found on web sites for house hold / world wide brands.
The key to increasing your page rank is continually adding as many relevant, quality inbound links from respected websites as you possibly can. That's really all that you can do. The rest is up to Google.
How do you educate people about SEO?
I've worked on a few SEO projects now and have come across something which has gone against the grain in terms of my past beleifs and experiences of working in a 'skilled' role.
In my previous life of I.T. support it used to be a real bind when dealing with a customer who knew "a little" about computer hardware and software. They would often make suggestions that they knew what they were on about and little remarks that would try and catch you out.
My experience with SEO is totally different.
People with no knowledge of SEO are very tricky customers. They think that they can flick a switch and amazingly all those sites that were listed before them will dissapear. If only!
So how do we educate people about SEO? Obviously managing expectation is the best way to start, but even then, after advising that it could take months to see a result have I had comments two weeks after a new site (and brand new domain) has gone live. What gives!?
Thankfully I do have customers that understand the involved processes that SEO requires to be effective so I guess its a case of taking the rough with the smooth.
In my previous life of I.T. support it used to be a real bind when dealing with a customer who knew "a little" about computer hardware and software. They would often make suggestions that they knew what they were on about and little remarks that would try and catch you out.
My experience with SEO is totally different.
People with no knowledge of SEO are very tricky customers. They think that they can flick a switch and amazingly all those sites that were listed before them will dissapear. If only!
So how do we educate people about SEO? Obviously managing expectation is the best way to start, but even then, after advising that it could take months to see a result have I had comments two weeks after a new site (and brand new domain) has gone live. What gives!?
Thankfully I do have customers that understand the involved processes that SEO requires to be effective so I guess its a case of taking the rough with the smooth.
Thursday, 22 May 2008
SEO really does work.
A while ago we posted about some really excellent results that our SEO work had achieved and yesterday I was talking to someone about just how important SEO was to them.
I was literally amazed when I was told that SEO had probably saved their business and they were now getting a good number of quality leads nearly every day that they were converting to sales.
Quite often we see people pull a face, or raise their eyebrows when we provide them with a quote to perform SEO on their site, especially as there are no guarantees as to what position can actually be achieved.
It's really good to hear real life scenarios of SEO working its magic though, and it proves that in the long term that any SEO investment is worth its weight in gold.
I was literally amazed when I was told that SEO had probably saved their business and they were now getting a good number of quality leads nearly every day that they were converting to sales.
Quite often we see people pull a face, or raise their eyebrows when we provide them with a quote to perform SEO on their site, especially as there are no guarantees as to what position can actually be achieved.
It's really good to hear real life scenarios of SEO working its magic though, and it proves that in the long term that any SEO investment is worth its weight in gold.
SERP. What does it mean?
SERP stands for Search Engine Results Page.
Many people aren't aware of the competitive nature of SERPs positioning, but it is very competitive. Keep in mind that you are ranked in comparison with the other sites in the results.
If the search engine thinks that your content is more relevant, then you rank higher, if it is determined that your content is less relevant, then you fall in the results. If they know what they are doing, the other sites showing up for the searches you wish to rank high in are watching you, and the other sites on the first two pages to see what they are doing, and if they are rising or falling.
So how do you ensure that you can rank well against the other sites out there and rise in the SERPs? Well, for starters, let's assume that there are only three search engines, because frankly, Google, Yahoo, and MSN (in that order) represent the vast majority of searches and Google represents the vast majority amongst those three.
There used to be many ways to get the search engines to pay more attention to your page, but the number one tip is now this: Write human readable content that has value and real relevancy. Make sure that you use the words and phrases you think people will search for, and do use them more than once, but don't go overboard. Bolding and using larger fonts (and H1 tags) will help as well, but don't overdo it. If you make your page look too wonky it will not work for the second type of optimisation.
Here's a quick checklist of things to make sure you do in terms of On Page optimisation.
- Make the page title descriptive, and if possible different for each page.
- Use the meta description tag and make it good - this is what most search engines show as the description about your site on the results page.
- Use clean HTML formatting so that the Search Engine can easily read your page.
- Make sure you use your keywords in your copy more than once and if it works bold them.
- If you can make it work, use an H1 or H2 tag. If you are comfortable with CSS you can make the text in them smaller (this is becoming less and less important).
- Make sure to use alt and title tags on images. It lets the search engines know what the image is about and can cause your images to show up on the Google image search. Use title tags on your links. It will help the search engines know more about the page you are linking to and improve relevancy.
- Don't put too many links to other sites. Links out lower your page's importance.
Thursday, 24 April 2008
Hello Moto! :-)
So here we are, four months into an SEO project for a communications company who provide business to business Radio Hire services and we have hit top spot on Google.
Naturally we are really excited here, and our client is over the moon (he even phoned us at 9pm this evening and we could almost hear the grin on his face!). He has already seen a return on his SEO investment in an upturn in enquiries and sales.
This is a perfect example of white hat SEO working its magic. Naturally we can't guarantee any particular ranking as we don't control the algorythms, but this is living proof that what we do works :-)
Naturally we are really excited here, and our client is over the moon (he even phoned us at 9pm this evening and we could almost hear the grin on his face!). He has already seen a return on his SEO investment in an upturn in enquiries and sales.
This is a perfect example of white hat SEO working its magic. Naturally we can't guarantee any particular ranking as we don't control the algorythms, but this is living proof that what we do works :-)
Friday, 4 April 2008
The Future of SEO?
Search engine optimisation is a series of tactics with the intention to drive visitors to your site by making it as appealing and visible to the search engines as possible. This is done by making the pages clean, the quality good and increasing the popularity of your pages via inbound links.
On his Blog, Google engineer Matt Cutts posted, "In my ideal world, a site owner wouldn’t need to think about SEO at all: Google would always find your content with no help." Backhandedly admitting that search is not perfect and that SEO is valuable as it bridges the gap between web sites and search engines.
How long will SEO as a profession last? I’m sensing a bubble, and I don’t think I’m alone.
SEO is already branching out into specialist niches such as link brokering, content and copy generators, programmers and standard compliance designers.
SEO has always had problems in terms of marketability. Who knows what SEO is, how it works, or even what it really does if they are not an SEO themselves? Another problem is defining what SEO is exactly, and what it is not.
SEO has been defined as a supervisory role, guiding and directing a team of designers and copywriters.
Another problem SEO faces is legitimacy. There is no certification for SEO and alot of companies undertook cloaked techniques for quick fixes. It doesn't work like that. I doubt certification would do much to enhance legitimacy as it would probably end up a book-based test instead of something useful and practical.
Colleges and Universities are starting to notice SEO but it is always within the context of online marketing. The education system, stretched as it is, seems somewhat inadequate to keep up with constantly changing trends. Where does SEO fit into the curriculum?
In it's most basic form, SEO is coding and infrastructure of a web site allowing bots and spiders to crawl content freely. Everything beyond that becomes search manipulation.
Many SEOs have already started to emphasise on conversions. PPC programs, offline promotion and other techniques that are ineffective for SEO can be very effective for conversions.
Again, these services are running into confusion as to what to call themselves, most using the terms like "eMarketing" or "Internet Marketing". But the reality is, it’s all doing a 360 to good old marketing.
SEO is another step in the evolution of the Internet. SEO tasks will eventually become conceptual. It will be another tool in the marketing arsenal.
On his Blog, Google engineer Matt Cutts posted, "In my ideal world, a site owner wouldn’t need to think about SEO at all: Google would always find your content with no help." Backhandedly admitting that search is not perfect and that SEO is valuable as it bridges the gap between web sites and search engines.
How long will SEO as a profession last? I’m sensing a bubble, and I don’t think I’m alone.
SEO is already branching out into specialist niches such as link brokering, content and copy generators, programmers and standard compliance designers.
SEO has always had problems in terms of marketability. Who knows what SEO is, how it works, or even what it really does if they are not an SEO themselves? Another problem is defining what SEO is exactly, and what it is not.
SEO has been defined as a supervisory role, guiding and directing a team of designers and copywriters.
Another problem SEO faces is legitimacy. There is no certification for SEO and alot of companies undertook cloaked techniques for quick fixes. It doesn't work like that. I doubt certification would do much to enhance legitimacy as it would probably end up a book-based test instead of something useful and practical.
Colleges and Universities are starting to notice SEO but it is always within the context of online marketing. The education system, stretched as it is, seems somewhat inadequate to keep up with constantly changing trends. Where does SEO fit into the curriculum?
In it's most basic form, SEO is coding and infrastructure of a web site allowing bots and spiders to crawl content freely. Everything beyond that becomes search manipulation.
Many SEOs have already started to emphasise on conversions. PPC programs, offline promotion and other techniques that are ineffective for SEO can be very effective for conversions.
Again, these services are running into confusion as to what to call themselves, most using the terms like "eMarketing" or "Internet Marketing". But the reality is, it’s all doing a 360 to good old marketing.
SEO is another step in the evolution of the Internet. SEO tasks will eventually become conceptual. It will be another tool in the marketing arsenal.
Hosting Service Upgrade
We have been very busy over the last couple of weeks (hence no blog entries) upgrading our hosting service.
The new service provides an improved platform for our shared hosting customers including 24/7 monitoring and system backup with a two week retention period.
Initial feedback is good, and we are just waiting for a final few customers to be moved over to the new box.
In SEO terms, its imperitive that web sites have a good hosting platform to ensure maximum uptime. The worst thing that can happen to your rankings is that a Spider goes to crawl your site when the server is down.
Normal blogging service will be resumed shortly.
The new service provides an improved platform for our shared hosting customers including 24/7 monitoring and system backup with a two week retention period.
Initial feedback is good, and we are just waiting for a final few customers to be moved over to the new box.
In SEO terms, its imperitive that web sites have a good hosting platform to ensure maximum uptime. The worst thing that can happen to your rankings is that a Spider goes to crawl your site when the server is down.
Normal blogging service will be resumed shortly.
Monday, 17 March 2008
SEO Guidelines from Google
Dont just take our word for it. Below are Googles SEO top tips:
Be wary of SEO firms and web consultants or agencies that send you email out of the blue.
Amazingly, Google get these spam emails too:
"Dear google.com,I visited your website and noticed that you are not listed in most of the major search engines and directories..."
Reserve the same skepticism for unsolicited email about search engines as you do for "burn fat at night" diet pills or requests to help transfer funds from deposed dictators.
No one can guarantee a ranking on Google.
Beware of SEOs that claim to guarantee rankings, allege a "special relationship" with Google, or advertise a "priority submit" to Google. There is no priority submit for Google. In fact, the only way to submit a site to Google directly is through our Add URL page or through the Webmaster Tools and you can do this yourself at no cost whatsoever.
Be careful if a company is secretive or won't clearly explain what they intend to do.
Ask for explanations if something is unclear. If an SEO creates deceptive or misleading content on your behalf, such as doorway pages or "throwaway" domains, your site could be removed entirely from Google's index. Ultimately, you are responsible for the actions of any companies you hire, so it's best to be sure you know exactly how they intend to "help" you.
You should never have to link to an SEO.
Avoid SEOs that talk about the power of "free-for-all" links, link popularity schemes, or submitting your site to thousands of search engines. These are typically useless exercises that don't affect your ranking in the results of the major search engines -- at least, not in a way you would likely consider to be positive.
Some SEOs may try to sell you the ability to type keywords directly into the browser address bar.
Most such proposals require users to install extra software, and very few users do so. Evaluate such proposals with extreme care and be skeptical about the self-reported number of users who have downloaded the required applications.
Choose wisely.
While you consider whether to go with an SEO, you may want to do some research on the industry. Google is one way to do that, of course. You might also seek out a few of the cautionary tales that have appeared in the press, including this article on one particularly aggressive SEO: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2002002970_nwbizbriefs12.html.
While Google doesn't comment on specific companies, we've encountered firms calling themselves SEOs who follow practices that are clearly beyond the pale of accepted business behavior. Be careful.
Be sure to understand where the money goes.
While Google never sells better ranking in our search results, several other search engines combine pay-per-click or pay-for-inclusion results with their regular web search results. Some SEOs will promise to rank you highly in search engines, but place you in the advertising section rather than in the search results. A few SEOs will even change their bid prices in real time to create the illusion that they "control" other search engines and can place themselves in the slot of their choice. This scam doesn't work with Google because our advertising is clearly labeled and separated from our search results, but be sure to ask any SEO you're considering which fees go toward permanent inclusion and which apply toward temporary advertising.
Talk to many SEOs, and ask other SEOs if they'd recommend the firm you're considering.
References are a good start, but they don't tell the whole story. You should ask how long a company has been in business and how many full time individuals it employs. If you feel pressured or uneasy, go with your gut feeling and play it safe: hold off until you find a firm that you can trust.
Be wary of SEO firms and web consultants or agencies that send you email out of the blue.
Amazingly, Google get these spam emails too:
"Dear google.com,I visited your website and noticed that you are not listed in most of the major search engines and directories..."
Reserve the same skepticism for unsolicited email about search engines as you do for "burn fat at night" diet pills or requests to help transfer funds from deposed dictators.
No one can guarantee a ranking on Google.
Beware of SEOs that claim to guarantee rankings, allege a "special relationship" with Google, or advertise a "priority submit" to Google. There is no priority submit for Google. In fact, the only way to submit a site to Google directly is through our Add URL page or through the Webmaster Tools and you can do this yourself at no cost whatsoever.
Be careful if a company is secretive or won't clearly explain what they intend to do.
Ask for explanations if something is unclear. If an SEO creates deceptive or misleading content on your behalf, such as doorway pages or "throwaway" domains, your site could be removed entirely from Google's index. Ultimately, you are responsible for the actions of any companies you hire, so it's best to be sure you know exactly how they intend to "help" you.
You should never have to link to an SEO.
Avoid SEOs that talk about the power of "free-for-all" links, link popularity schemes, or submitting your site to thousands of search engines. These are typically useless exercises that don't affect your ranking in the results of the major search engines -- at least, not in a way you would likely consider to be positive.
Some SEOs may try to sell you the ability to type keywords directly into the browser address bar.
Most such proposals require users to install extra software, and very few users do so. Evaluate such proposals with extreme care and be skeptical about the self-reported number of users who have downloaded the required applications.
Choose wisely.
While you consider whether to go with an SEO, you may want to do some research on the industry. Google is one way to do that, of course. You might also seek out a few of the cautionary tales that have appeared in the press, including this article on one particularly aggressive SEO: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2002002970_nwbizbriefs12.html.
While Google doesn't comment on specific companies, we've encountered firms calling themselves SEOs who follow practices that are clearly beyond the pale of accepted business behavior. Be careful.
Be sure to understand where the money goes.
While Google never sells better ranking in our search results, several other search engines combine pay-per-click or pay-for-inclusion results with their regular web search results. Some SEOs will promise to rank you highly in search engines, but place you in the advertising section rather than in the search results. A few SEOs will even change their bid prices in real time to create the illusion that they "control" other search engines and can place themselves in the slot of their choice. This scam doesn't work with Google because our advertising is clearly labeled and separated from our search results, but be sure to ask any SEO you're considering which fees go toward permanent inclusion and which apply toward temporary advertising.
Talk to many SEOs, and ask other SEOs if they'd recommend the firm you're considering.
References are a good start, but they don't tell the whole story. You should ask how long a company has been in business and how many full time individuals it employs. If you feel pressured or uneasy, go with your gut feeling and play it safe: hold off until you find a firm that you can trust.
Does W3C compliance impact on your SEO?
Can W3C compliance and accessibility impact your Search Engine Optimisation? It's a common question and the answer is "definitely maybe".
From experience having a site that is 100% code compliant doesn’t give you any direct SEO benefit. That said throwing up a page with complete disregard for valid code is looking for trouble. If you put your page into a validator and it comes back with hundreds of errors you may be looking for trouble. Depending on what your errors are you may have made it harder for a search engine bot to crawl your website. However if you can get it down to handful of errors (such as images or search boxes), it might not be worth the time obsessing over those last few details.
A site designed with XHTML is a different kettle of fish altogether. With strict compliance you really should be 100% valid. If you site is likely to end up on a mobile device such as a phone or iPaq then it has a better chance of not "breaking". Until mobile browsers become more advanced, forgiving and standardized it’s going to be rough going and 100% W3C compliance is a really good idea.
From experience having a site that is 100% code compliant doesn’t give you any direct SEO benefit. That said throwing up a page with complete disregard for valid code is looking for trouble. If you put your page into a validator and it comes back with hundreds of errors you may be looking for trouble. Depending on what your errors are you may have made it harder for a search engine bot to crawl your website. However if you can get it down to handful of errors (such as images or search boxes), it might not be worth the time obsessing over those last few details.
A site designed with XHTML is a different kettle of fish altogether. With strict compliance you really should be 100% valid. If you site is likely to end up on a mobile device such as a phone or iPaq then it has a better chance of not "breaking". Until mobile browsers become more advanced, forgiving and standardized it’s going to be rough going and 100% W3C compliance is a really good idea.
Tuesday, 11 March 2008
Links, Links, Links
Ok, so I've taken this post from another blog but I thought it might be interesting!
Have you ever wondered how some sites get so many links? Clearly sites such as Google deserve to have millions of links but I decided to see which sites and sub pages were building links into the millions.
- 150 million links to http://www.statcounter.com/
- 24.8 million links to http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/
- 24 million links to http://wordpress.com
- 22 million links to http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
- 14 million links links to http://www.technorati.com
- 13.7 million links to http://www.moneyexpert.com/Compare-Loans.aspx
- 7.5 million links to http://www.moneyweb.co.uk/products/mortgages/mcapital.html
- 5.5 million links to http://threestore.three.co.uk/
- 5.5 million links to http://www.microsoft.com/
- 4.8 million links to http://www.apple.com/
- 4 million links links to http://www.digitalpoint.com/tools/geovisitors/
- 3 million links links to http://www.digitalpoint.com/tools/ad-network/
- 2 million links to http://alexking.org/projects/wordpress/popularity-contest
- 1.3 million links to http://photomatt.net
I wonder how long it would take for the search engines to suss this out - that is if it is possible of course!
Give your new web site a kick start....
Judging from forum posts and other sources, getting indexed in Google – let alone on the first few pages – presents a major challenge for a new web site. Some SEO consultants wont even even touch new web sites.
If you have a new web site, chin up; its not all doom and gloom!
When building a brand-new web site, SEO should not be an afterthought; you need to think about it right from the beginning, along with your site’s content. It starts with keyword research.
You know what your business offers but do you know how your target audience refer to or think about it? Do your customers refer to your products using the same phrases as you do? Put yourself in there shoes when thinking about your keywords.
You shouldn't think about putting an "Under Construction" page up when your site is being built. Do you really want Google to index a blank page? If you need to get something online quickly then think about building a mini site with some basic product and contact details on it.
When building your web site you will need to think about your directory and navigation structure. Make it so that Google can follow all your links and find all the necessary pages on your site.
Then start to think about your external links. Good external links can build up a sold reputation for your site - otherwise known by Google as Page Rank. Page ranking is the first port of call that Google uses when positioning a web site on its search index. The higher the page rank, the higher up the results you will appear.
If you have a new web site, chin up; its not all doom and gloom!
When building a brand-new web site, SEO should not be an afterthought; you need to think about it right from the beginning, along with your site’s content. It starts with keyword research.
You know what your business offers but do you know how your target audience refer to or think about it? Do your customers refer to your products using the same phrases as you do? Put yourself in there shoes when thinking about your keywords.
You shouldn't think about putting an "Under Construction" page up when your site is being built. Do you really want Google to index a blank page? If you need to get something online quickly then think about building a mini site with some basic product and contact details on it.
When building your web site you will need to think about your directory and navigation structure. Make it so that Google can follow all your links and find all the necessary pages on your site.
Then start to think about your external links. Good external links can build up a sold reputation for your site - otherwise known by Google as Page Rank. Page ranking is the first port of call that Google uses when positioning a web site on its search index. The higher the page rank, the higher up the results you will appear.
Sunday, 9 March 2008
SEO Techniques to Avoid
There are several things that you can do to try to get your page listed higher on a search engine results page. As a rule of thumb, you should never try to trick or deceive a search engine in any way, or you risk being blacklisted by them and all your efforts will be wasted. Since the majority of your traffic will come from search engines the risk far outweighs the benefits in the long run.
Search engine operators spend a lot of time trying to create a useful tool for finding related content on the web, and we have the utmost respect for these efforts. Below is a list of some things we recommend that you never do when trying to achieve better listings.
Do not
Do anything to try to trick the search engines into listing your site better. If what you are doing is not listed as one of our search engine tips the search engines will likely view it as spam and penalise you.
Use the same color text on your page as the page's background color. This has often been used to keyword stuff a web page. Search engines can detect this and view it as spam.
Use multiple instances of the same tag. For example, using more than one title tag. Search engines can detect this and view it as spam.
Submit identical pages. For example, do not duplicate a page of your site, give the copies different file names, and submit each one. Search engines can detect this and view it as spam.
Submit the same page to any engine more than once within 24hrs (in fact you should only ever need to submit to any search engine once. Once a Search Engine knows your website exists it will crawl it at regular intervals anyway)
Use a search engine optimization or submit service that promises you a top ranking by optimising your page and submitting and resubmitting your site to thousands of search engines. We have yet to find a service like this that really works, and many will use some or many of the techniques listed above, which can actually hurt, rather than help your site to rank well.
Search engine operators spend a lot of time trying to create a useful tool for finding related content on the web, and we have the utmost respect for these efforts. Below is a list of some things we recommend that you never do when trying to achieve better listings.
Do not
Do anything to try to trick the search engines into listing your site better. If what you are doing is not listed as one of our search engine tips the search engines will likely view it as spam and penalise you.
Use the same color text on your page as the page's background color. This has often been used to keyword stuff a web page. Search engines can detect this and view it as spam.
Use multiple instances of the same tag. For example, using more than one title tag. Search engines can detect this and view it as spam.
Submit identical pages. For example, do not duplicate a page of your site, give the copies different file names, and submit each one. Search engines can detect this and view it as spam.
Submit the same page to any engine more than once within 24hrs (in fact you should only ever need to submit to any search engine once. Once a Search Engine knows your website exists it will crawl it at regular intervals anyway)
Use a search engine optimization or submit service that promises you a top ranking by optimising your page and submitting and resubmitting your site to thousands of search engines. We have yet to find a service like this that really works, and many will use some or many of the techniques listed above, which can actually hurt, rather than help your site to rank well.
Friday, 7 March 2008
Blowing our own trumpet!
A little off the beaten track with todays blog entry as we'd like to blow our own trumpet a little.
Before Christmas 2007 The Communications Company web site wasn't really fairing too well in the search engines so we have been working hard since the new year to do what we can.
It was agreed that we would focus on three key words for now : Radio Hire, Walkie Talkie Hire and Motorola Radio.
7th March is now a monumental day for the Radio Hire phrase as the site has just broken onto the first page of Google in 6th position. Thats up 12 positions from the last check in.
We are really excited about this and we know that Paul from The Communications Company will be very happy with this result!
Now, about that No.1 spot................................
Before Christmas 2007 The Communications Company web site wasn't really fairing too well in the search engines so we have been working hard since the new year to do what we can.
It was agreed that we would focus on three key words for now : Radio Hire, Walkie Talkie Hire and Motorola Radio.
7th March is now a monumental day for the Radio Hire phrase as the site has just broken onto the first page of Google in 6th position. Thats up 12 positions from the last check in.
We are really excited about this and we know that Paul from The Communications Company will be very happy with this result!
Now, about that No.1 spot................................
Thursday, 6 March 2008
Pay-Per-Click Tips
Pay-per-click advertising is a tough business and there a few signs to say that its going to get easier in the near future. Bids are continuing to rise at a rate I would rather not think about.
A few years back I wouldn't have paid more than £0.50p per click and most clicks literally cost pennies. I can see that now, even upping my bidding to £2.00 per click that a decent listing is still hard to come by.
Large corporate businesses can afford to spend ridiculous amounts of money on advertising just for the sake of their brand, but smaller businesses, with much smaller budgets have to take a more cautious approach and this is why I don't think that PPC is right for them unless specific guidelines are adhered to.
The primary guideline is the choice of your keywords. Make them specific. In 2007 Google introduced a new keyword tool which helped to show you how competitive search words were in your field. If you want to sell Digital Camera's for example, then utilise the keyword Digital Camera's instead of just cameras's. Also think about the use of manufacturer names such as Nikon Digital Camera. You should "mine" your product range for more specific keywords that may just bring in those extra few clicks that you need.
Wednesday, 5 March 2008
Search Engine Wars
When people search for something they only care about two things, the response time and the relevancy of the result. Looks like Google or Yahoo is superior to Microsofts Live.com in terms of search technology.
I would believe to some extend it explains why Microsoft wants to buy Yahoo to battle with Google in the search market.
The different technologies used by the search engines can sometimes cause SEO professionals a bit of a headache, as they have to use different techniques for the the different listings. What you find these days is that most people optimise their sites for Google, because it holds the market share for search.
In short, lets take a look at just how the Search Engines take an interest in your site:
Yahoo!
I would believe to some extend it explains why Microsoft wants to buy Yahoo to battle with Google in the search market.
The different technologies used by the search engines can sometimes cause SEO professionals a bit of a headache, as they have to use different techniques for the the different listings. What you find these days is that most people optimise their sites for Google, because it holds the market share for search.
In short, lets take a look at just how the Search Engines take an interest in your site:
Yahoo!
- been in the search game for many years.
- is better than MSN but nowhere near as good as Google at determining if a link is a natural citation or not.
- has a ton of internal content and a paid inclusion program. both of which give them incentive to bias search results toward commercial results
- things like cheesy off topic reciprocal links still work great in Yahoo!
MSN Search
- new to the search game
- is bad at determining if a link is natural or artificial in nature
- due to sucking at link analysis they place too much weight on the page content
- their poor relevancy algorithms cause a heavy bias toward commercial results
likes bursty recent links - new sites that are generally untrusted in other systems can rank quickly in MSN Search
- things like cheesy off topic reciprocal links still work great in MSN Search
Google (take a deep breath!)
- has been in the search game a long time
- is much better than the other engines at determining if a link is a true editorial citation or an artificial link
- looks for natural link growth over time
- heavily biases search results toward informational resources
- trusts old sites way too much
- a page on a site or subdomain of a site with significant age or link related trust can rank much better than it should, even with no external citations
- they have aggressive duplicate content filters that filter out many pages with similar content
- if a page is obviously focused on a term they may filter the document out for that term. on page variation and link anchor text variation are important. a page with a single reference or a few references of a modifier will frequently outrank pages that are heavily focused on a search phrase containing that modifier
- crawl depth determined not only by link quantity, but also link quality. Excessive low quality links may make your site less likely to be crawled deep or even included in the index.
- things like cheesy off topic reciprocal links are generally ineffective in Google when you consider the associated opportunity cost
Ask (Jeeves, remember him?)
- looks at topical communities
- due to their heavy emphasis on topical communities they are slow to rank sites until they are heavily cited from within their topical community
- due to their limited market share they probably are not worth paying much attention to unless you are in a vertical where they have a strong brand that drives significant search traffic
Basically, content is king - no let me rephrase that - Quality content is king. There is very little doubt about that. The relevance of the content on your site plays a big part in how all the search engines rank it, especially Google. And lets face it, with Google hogging the majority share of the search engine market, its Google where we want our listings to appear - right?
Tuesday, 4 March 2008
Googlebombs!
Today's blog note takes a slightly comical, but very real phrase, and looks into what it actually means.
A Google bomb (also referred to as a 'link bomb') is Internet slang for a certain kind of attempt to influence the ranking of a given page in results returned by the Google search engine, often with humorous or political intentions.
Because of the way that Google's algorithm works, a page will be ranked higher if the sites that link to that page use consistent anchor text. A Google bomb is created if a large number of sites link to the page in this manner. Google bomb is used both as a verb and a noun. The phrase "Google bombing" was introduced to the New Oxford American Dictionary in May 2005, so it's not a new phrase. Google bombing is closely related to spamdexing, the practice of deliberately modifying HTML pages to increase the chance of their being placed close to the beginning of search engine results, or to influence the category to which the page is assigned in a misleading or dishonest manner.
The term Googlewashing was coined in 2003 to describe the use of media manipulation to change the perception of a term, or push out competition from search engine results pages (SERPs).
A recent Google bomb example was the word "failure" being linked back to the White House and George Bush. I'll let you keep your thoughts on that to yourself, but it is a perfect example of how link building and anchor text plays a huge part in the relevance of your links and your sites ranking on Google.
Until tomorrow.......
A Google bomb (also referred to as a 'link bomb') is Internet slang for a certain kind of attempt to influence the ranking of a given page in results returned by the Google search engine, often with humorous or political intentions.
Because of the way that Google's algorithm works, a page will be ranked higher if the sites that link to that page use consistent anchor text. A Google bomb is created if a large number of sites link to the page in this manner. Google bomb is used both as a verb and a noun. The phrase "Google bombing" was introduced to the New Oxford American Dictionary in May 2005, so it's not a new phrase. Google bombing is closely related to spamdexing, the practice of deliberately modifying HTML pages to increase the chance of their being placed close to the beginning of search engine results, or to influence the category to which the page is assigned in a misleading or dishonest manner.
The term Googlewashing was coined in 2003 to describe the use of media manipulation to change the perception of a term, or push out competition from search engine results pages (SERPs).
A recent Google bomb example was the word "failure" being linked back to the White House and George Bush. I'll let you keep your thoughts on that to yourself, but it is a perfect example of how link building and anchor text plays a huge part in the relevance of your links and your sites ranking on Google.
Until tomorrow.......
Monday, 3 March 2008
SEO guarantees?
As a web design agency we get plenty of emails from SEO companies promising us that No.1 spot on Google. Having performed SEO on a number of sites we are fully aware that there are NO guarantees when it comes to SEO.
Many of these companies use techniques that are frowned upon by the major players in Search Engines but lets look at what a guarantee actually is:
Guarantee: a promise or assurance, esp. one in writing, that something is of specified quality, content, benefit, etc., or that it will perform satisfactorily for a given length of time.
Excellent - just what we wanted to hear. How can an SEO company make a guarantee for something that they don't have control over? OK, based on current SEO practices they can probably "guarantee" to get some of your search keywords into the top positions of a major search engine, but is that good enough for what they are charging?
Take electrical goods for example. A T.V. might come with a manufacturers 12 month guarantee - but that doesn't mean that it won't go faulty within 12 months. However, the manufacturer does have full control over fixing your unit or providing you with a replacement.
Any guaranteed positioning should be taken with a pinch of salt. The search engines control the algorithms and no one else. In fact, Googles algorithms are one of the best kept secrets on the planet! An SEO guarantee should be an measurable, achievable goal that will contribute towards helping the ranking of your website.
A good SEO company should offer complete transparency and help you learn along the way. SEO should not be treated as top secret.
Friday, 29 February 2008
Just what is Google?
Pretty much everyday I talk to someone about the importance of getting a good position on Google. This morning I sat here thinking to myself - just what is Google and why has it become such an important part of life on the Internet.
Lets look at what Google have built. I think we all know that Google is the worlds most popular search engine, but there is a lot more to it than meets the eye. Google is actually the worlds largest and most scalable development platform for Internet applications.
After taking years of software research from they built their own production quality system to manage 100's of 1000's of server clusters. The storage, database management and fault tolerance systems have all been built on Googles proprietary platform.
Google have introduced many tools and applications over the last few years, and I am certain that we will continue to see products added to the google toolkit in the future. Items such as Analytics help Webmasters and marketeers distinguish which strategys are working for them, and items such as Adsense can help drive revenue through targeted marketing.
We no longer use the term "Search" on the internet. If we are looking for information we tend to "Google" it. This is a result of the market domination that Google now have.
Many people beleive that if you don't feature on Google you don't exist. Whilst I dont think this is entirely true it's not a bad benchmark when considering your SEO plan.
Lets look at what Google have built. I think we all know that Google is the worlds most popular search engine, but there is a lot more to it than meets the eye. Google is actually the worlds largest and most scalable development platform for Internet applications.
After taking years of software research from they built their own production quality system to manage 100's of 1000's of server clusters. The storage, database management and fault tolerance systems have all been built on Googles proprietary platform.
Google have introduced many tools and applications over the last few years, and I am certain that we will continue to see products added to the google toolkit in the future. Items such as Analytics help Webmasters and marketeers distinguish which strategys are working for them, and items such as Adsense can help drive revenue through targeted marketing.
We no longer use the term "Search" on the internet. If we are looking for information we tend to "Google" it. This is a result of the market domination that Google now have.
Many people beleive that if you don't feature on Google you don't exist. Whilst I dont think this is entirely true it's not a bad benchmark when considering your SEO plan.
Thursday, 28 February 2008
Your Website - Untapped Potential
Picture this... You have just invested a large chunk of your budget on a brand new, shiny website with all the bells and whistles only to find that a couple of months down the line that you haven't received the number of hits you were hoping for. Sounds familiar? Then read on.
Time after time I have met with Clients who think that having a website will bring the new business at the drop of a hat - unfortunately it doesn't work like that and that is where Search Engine Optimisation comes in.
There are many businesses (and so called Consultants) out there that claim to give you No.1 spot on Google, or a top ten position on major search engines but how can they guarantee this when its not in their hands? Say, for example, that 20 Internet companies approach this SEO firm - their guarantee already hits a stumbling block. The SEO market is changing all the time with the search engines moving the goal posts on what it looks for when ranking a website. At the end of the day you can play by the rules set by the search engines but you are always in their hands when it comes to ranking your site.
SEO has to be viewed as an ongoing investment. Would you buy a Rolls Royce just to park it in the garage? Getting a good ranking is one thing, maintaining it requires hours of research, maintenance and updates and thats exactly what eSoftware Solutions offer.
Remember, once you achieve a healthy ranking don't rest on your laurels. Search Engine Optimisation isn't a quick fix to promoting your website, it's an ongoing investment.
New Day, New Website
After much debating and sitting around drinking coffee we decided it was time to take eSoftware Solutions one step further and to do this we needed a new image.
We thought about how we wanted to come across to our customers and decided that the best approach was a company that shows professionalism and passion, but also knows how to take of the tie and enjoy what they do.
After two weeks of design ideas we came up with the new image and built our new website around it. Below are some links, take a look around and let me know what you think!
Welcome to my Blog
Hi, and welcome to my blog.
This site is designed to let you know all about our SEO services and also tell you a bit about our clients and practices so far.
We hope that you find it useful!
This site is designed to let you know all about our SEO services and also tell you a bit about our clients and practices so far.
We hope that you find it useful!
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