Sitemaps can dramatically improve the visibility of your web site by allowing search engine spiders access to all pages of your site. An ideal sitemap includes a title along with a short description for each web page. In effect, you will have more than a sitemap--you'll have a table of contents for your site that provides an extra boost to each page's rank.
A Google sitemap is an additional design element that you should consider. Find out more about Google Sitemaps.
Technorati tags: Sitemaps, Search Engine Friendly Web Design, SEO Consulting, Web Site Promotion
Monday, December 11, 2006
Friday, November 10, 2006
Akamai and JupiterResearch Identify '4 Seconds' as the New Threshold of Acceptability for Retail Web Page Response Times
I thought this would be of interest since I've been talking about optimizing your pages. Keep your page load time in mind too.
Read More...
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Thursday, November 09, 2006
FortifyYour Website with these 5 SEO Activities
Fortifying your website with the elements that both search engines AND your readers love, will reap deep benefits in due time.
You must think of these Search Engine Optimization [SEO] activities as ongoing. They are musts for site evolution and progression. Fortify your website by taking time to prepare your site for the search engines. Many website owners have no idea how to do this or even that they should!
So go with me on a crusade to fortify your website with these 5 steps:
1. Choose the right keywords
Don't make the mistake of optimizing for very general keywords. It is very unlikely that you'll rank high for them. Sure you'll get lots of traffic with them, but the traffic will convert very poorly because these are not targeted prospects.
Search stats - 28% of searchers type in a product name; 9% type in a brand name; and 5% type in a company name. The more targeted your keyword phrase, the more qualified the buyer. If they are searching for specific products, brands, or companies they are further along in the buying process.
2. Optimize your page for your targeted keywords
There are many elements that determine your rank in the search engines. One of the most important is a good title. The title appears at the top of the head section and the words will appear as a clickable link on the search engine results page (SERP). Your title tag should contain the targeted keywords that reflect the copy of the page. Use your most important keyword at the beginning of the title tag. You want the title to be compelling enough to prompt searchers to read more or click. Think of the title as the headline in an ad.
Following your title tag is the description META tag. Less weight is given by the search engines to META tags, but you should take the time to include them. They'll allow you to control the description of your listing in some search engines. Use the description tag for marketing purposes. Think of the description as the actual ad. The title grabs their attention and the description tells them what's in it for them.
Finally is the keywords META tag. Although this tag isn't recognized, if at all, using this tag for misspellings, technical acronyms and synonyms may bring additional traffic from people searching for these less popular keywords.
3. Create Quality Content
Don't just write your pages for the search engines. Optimize your content for your readers first - they are the most important. Once the copy is written, then weave your keywords in so they appear and flow naturally throughout your page. Use your best keyword phrase in the first sentence of your first paragraph of text. Other places to include your keywords are in the image alt attributes, within your heading tags, and near the end of your page.
4. Internal Linking
Proper navigation and site structure is important for retaining your visitors once they arrive. It's also key for the search engines since they cannot fully index your site if it's not properly linked together. Each page of your site should be no more than 2 clicks from your homepage. Decide which pages are most important and include them in your navigation - both on the top and/or side, as well as the bottom. This will transfer the highest possible page rank to each page. Each of these links should include anchor text, preferably your targeted keywords. Think of each page as a subfolder of the main page. These subfolders contain more information on a particular keyword phrase.
5. Inbound Links
When you are done optimizing on-page elements, focus on off-page elements. To complete the SEO cycle you need to go beyond on-page factors. Link popularity is a crucial ranking element. All of the following activities can make your site link worthy: syndicating articles, exchanging RSS feeds, submitting your website to directories, syndicating podcasts, sending out press releases, obtaining affiliate partners. If other sites find your site useful and informative, then natural linking begins to occur. Be sure with any of these activities, that you include your anchor text [targeted keywords] in the copy and, if possible, make them clickable links.
SEO activities take time. Put these strategies into action one step at a time and you'll soon begin to see the benefits. Have fun!
You must think of these Search Engine Optimization [SEO] activities as ongoing. They are musts for site evolution and progression. Fortify your website by taking time to prepare your site for the search engines. Many website owners have no idea how to do this or even that they should!
So go with me on a crusade to fortify your website with these 5 steps:
1. Choose the right keywords
Don't make the mistake of optimizing for very general keywords. It is very unlikely that you'll rank high for them. Sure you'll get lots of traffic with them, but the traffic will convert very poorly because these are not targeted prospects.
Search stats - 28% of searchers type in a product name; 9% type in a brand name; and 5% type in a company name. The more targeted your keyword phrase, the more qualified the buyer. If they are searching for specific products, brands, or companies they are further along in the buying process.
2. Optimize your page for your targeted keywords
There are many elements that determine your rank in the search engines. One of the most important is a good title. The title appears at the top of the head section and the words will appear as a clickable link on the search engine results page (SERP). Your title tag should contain the targeted keywords that reflect the copy of the page. Use your most important keyword at the beginning of the title tag. You want the title to be compelling enough to prompt searchers to read more or click. Think of the title as the headline in an ad.
Following your title tag is the description META tag. Less weight is given by the search engines to META tags, but you should take the time to include them. They'll allow you to control the description of your listing in some search engines. Use the description tag for marketing purposes. Think of the description as the actual ad. The title grabs their attention and the description tells them what's in it for them.
Finally is the keywords META tag. Although this tag isn't recognized, if at all, using this tag for misspellings, technical acronyms and synonyms may bring additional traffic from people searching for these less popular keywords.
3. Create Quality Content
Don't just write your pages for the search engines. Optimize your content for your readers first - they are the most important. Once the copy is written, then weave your keywords in so they appear and flow naturally throughout your page. Use your best keyword phrase in the first sentence of your first paragraph of text. Other places to include your keywords are in the image alt attributes, within your heading tags, and near the end of your page.
4. Internal Linking
Proper navigation and site structure is important for retaining your visitors once they arrive. It's also key for the search engines since they cannot fully index your site if it's not properly linked together. Each page of your site should be no more than 2 clicks from your homepage. Decide which pages are most important and include them in your navigation - both on the top and/or side, as well as the bottom. This will transfer the highest possible page rank to each page. Each of these links should include anchor text, preferably your targeted keywords. Think of each page as a subfolder of the main page. These subfolders contain more information on a particular keyword phrase.
5. Inbound Links
When you are done optimizing on-page elements, focus on off-page elements. To complete the SEO cycle you need to go beyond on-page factors. Link popularity is a crucial ranking element. All of the following activities can make your site link worthy: syndicating articles, exchanging RSS feeds, submitting your website to directories, syndicating podcasts, sending out press releases, obtaining affiliate partners. If other sites find your site useful and informative, then natural linking begins to occur. Be sure with any of these activities, that you include your anchor text [targeted keywords] in the copy and, if possible, make them clickable links.
SEO activities take time. Put these strategies into action one step at a time and you'll soon begin to see the benefits. Have fun!
Friday, October 27, 2006
Everything you do leads to a transaction!
Everything you do online either moves you toward or away from a transaction. That can be said of any marketing activity - online or offline. Business online is about making those transactions at the lowest cost possible.
Here are 6 ways you can keep people in conversation and interested:
Here are 6 ways you can keep people in conversation and interested:
- Use an email autoresponder
- Build mailing lists
- Blog
- Advertise
- Network
- Market with affiliates/strategic partners
Make your transactions as cost-effective as you can and then test them to be sure your spread between cost and gross revenue [profit!] is at an acceptable level for your business.
Paula Bonelli
A S A P Website Promotion
website optimization
marketing your website online
website marketing
website promotion
internet marketing
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
9 Ways to Market Your Business Online
DO YOU NEED…a website? Or just better website results?
You want your business to grow, right? You love what you do and want to be successful! Whatever service or product you offer, you can grow your business by marketing it on the Internet. Don't know how?
Here are 9 ways to market your business online:
- You can multiply your profits by creating an e-commerce website. Whether you sell a service or a physical product, you can expand your target market to include online customers. It's convenient. Once you are set up online, you can take orders and sell stuff 24/7. It can all be automated so you can earn money while you sleep or while you are away.
- Build your contact list. Create ways for people to give you their contact information. Once you've identified your target market and drive them to your site, they are pre-qualified customers that are ready to buy - so be ready to keep in touch with them by collecting their name and email address.
- Get targeted traffic to your site by writing articles, newsletters, emails, blogs, etc. and distributing them to your current customers. This will help you become a trusted source in your field. Take it a step further and find resources online for where you can distribute your written content.
- For those of you who just don't like to 'sell', the Internet is a non-threatening environment. It's an easier place to market your product or yourself effectively if you don't like to be in front of people. You don't have to be a polished presenter, invest in a fancy wardrobe and spend hours preparing materials for public speaking. Using online tools, it's easy. For example, you can translate your knowledge into a 'how-to' article, edit it at your leisure, and send it out to your list with the click of button.
- Link to other sites. Link popularity is important in building traffic to your site. Link to others sites that are directly relevant to your site content and target market. Seek quality sites and be prepared to tell them why you think linking to you is beneficial to them. The search engines love relevant links.
- Viral Marketing - the 'Pass Along'. If your readers find value in your information, they will want to share it with friends and business associates. Be sure to include, a "forward to a friend" or "pass along" link so that it's easy for them to circulate material for you.
- Get in front of your target market offline by:
-joining your local chamber
-joining professional groups in your field
-speaking at industry events
Networking is the best offline tool for building relationships, and relationships lead to sales. - Include your web address in all printed material. Be sure to use your web address on:
-business cards
-hand-outs
-brochures
-any printed material you distribute - Make your website the center of your marketing efforts - don't make it an afterthought. Use your site to give helpful information to your target audience by offering e-newsletters, tips, webinars [online seminars], etc.
Online there are endless possibilities. The World Wide Web audience awaits your creativity and uniqueness. The more you do online, the more your online network grows. You get a chance to see what others are doing and learn from them. Even your competitors are a great resource!
Just remember…be patient and enjoy the process. Don't give up too soon. An online business is like a garden, it takes time. But properly planted, watered, weeded, and maintained -- it will soon be time to harvest. Even a modest investment of time and money can yield great rewards!
http://www.MarketYourBizOnline.com
http://www.ExpertWebsiteResults.com
Technorati tags:
marketing your website online , website marketing , website promotion , internet marketing
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