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SEO vs. PPC? — Wrong Question

As pay-per-click (PPC) ad prices continue to rise and margins begin to shrink; larger corporations have already begun to increase their organic SEO spending. But for SMBs exploring the possible advantages of an SEO investment, there is a uniquely frustrating challenge:

The inability to estimate the results of SEO– and the time it will take to realize them– makes a sound cost/benefit analysis elusive. The popular misconception that PPC and SEO are the “fast” and “slower” versions of the same thing complicates the evaluation process even more.

Without a clear understanding of how SEO is implemented, it’s impossible to identify, much less, quantify, the wide-ranging benefits of the SEO process. Within small to mid size businesses, the impact can be profound.

The paid advertising model is exactly what it says– advertising. Search engine optimization is not. While search engine prominence is the most widely recognized goal of SEO, that’s far from being the only business value it delivers.

How Quality Web Content Boosts Local Retail Sales
Consumers have spoken. They want information– and visit 3-5 websites looking for it before they buy. There’s also ample evidence to show that shoppers who search online before making offline purchases spend more than those who don’t.

In a recent study by TMP Directional Marketing, the leading local search and yellow pages marketing agency, 60% of the consumers surveyed said they first go online for conducting a local search. The research showed 82% of local online searchers follow up offline with an in-store visit, or phone call. Of these, 61% made purchases.

PPC can effectively deliver the traffic, but optimized website content is what, ultimately, drives the sale. Since content development is at the heart of SEO, it makes good business sense to leverage both.

SEO Step 1: Competitive Analysis
Even though shoppers have expressed their desire for information, millions of retailers still don’t know what to provide– or where to find it. Here’s where SEO can help.

The first step in SEO, competitive research, will expose the minimum level of information required in a given market– and the maximum that’s being offered. Typically (depending on industry) you’ll find:

• Product comparisons
• User reviews
• Upgrades, features, and updates
• Manufacturer recalls
• Software tools (calculators, etc.)

Retailers who create the best content go beyond a feature-centric focus. They consider, at each buying stage, the problem a shopper is trying to solve. The goal is to offer the quality information that eliminates the need to shop any further.

“Solution-centric” Content Is In Your Own Backyard
Some of the best sources of information of value to buyers will often be found within your own business. One of the most compelling (and underutilized) sources is that of current and former customers.

According to the “Social Commerce Report 2007″, customer product reviews are increasing both retail e-commerce traffic and conversion rates.

Over half of online retailers in the U.S., the UK, and Europe– when asked about the effects of customer ratings– said their overall web site conversion rates had gone up in the past year.

• Over three-quarters said their site traffic had increased
• 42% also said their average order values grew
• 59% thought improved search engine optimization was a major benefit

Granted, there are other ways to design a content building strategy aside from one that includes SEO. The most commonly used alternative, however, is strategically less effective. Here’s why:

SEO Puts Retailers Back In The Drivers’ Seat
When companies invest too heavily in traffic before considering how efficiently they can convert it into sales, planners and, especially, managers find themselves in a reactive position. The sudden influx of traffic illuminates every deficiency in a website, while offering few clues as to what needs to be fixed.

A more deliberate content optimization strategy allows you to be more proactive. The result is better fiscal control and more accurate outcome (and income) projections.

When SEO-driven traffic supplements that of pay-per-click, overall costs per visitor are substantially reduced. Higher conversions with reduced cost per visitor increase both net profit and ROI.

(Research by E-consultancy and Bazaarvoice– quoted in eMarketer 08.07.07)
(TMP Study Finds Shoppers Research Online; Buy Locally– from businesswire.com 08.10.07)
Author:  Kamau Jackson is a Chicago internet marketing consultant. This article was adapted from The SOAP Report: A Search Optimization And Planning Guide. (27 pgs. w/expert resource links). Get A Complementary Copy here: search engine optimization

Once upon a time things were easy online. A website was just a company presentation, something placed on the Web for people to see “just in case.” Web design was born but there was not too much fuss about the how and the why.

There were no standards, no branding principles, people made their own sites, there was no one there to say: your site doesn’t validate, or your site is not accessible.

There was no real danger for a lawsuit… There were not so many copyright infringements, and no one really had to spend thousands on optimization, dynamic website building tools and so on.

The web world was at its dawn. There was harmony and peace.

The Birth of a Giant

But one day, a little search engine was born. It was not the first, but from the start it showed that it was special. It started its life modestly, in a little place called Menlo Park, but soon after its birth, it changed the Web with its super powers.

Google meant the end of web harmony.

With Google the search fever brought some new professions on the market: SEO, SEM, online marketing. And the Web evolved around Google, like the Earth around the Sun.

Soon webtrepreneur turned against webtrepreneur, web design needed to change to become Google friendly (or SEO friendly as we like to say), standards need to be traced to tame the storm, to keep the Web madness under control (to maintain the Web accessible for all). But the struggle for a good position on the Web becomes more difficult each day.

SEO or Bust

The Web realities are simple: either you are in Google or you are nothing. Do SEO or fail.

Take my word for it: even world brands like eBay, MySpace, digg and so on once needed (and some still do) a good location on Google’s main index. It’s true that they are web-entities on their own, but at their dawn they needed Google rankings as much as any other fresh site. They did optimize for Google and the other search engines.

Now they have their own authority and their own faithful users. Yet there was a time, once upon a time, when they needed to make their mark and back then they’ve got their share of Google love…

Google was not the only change, but the cause of all the changes. And if you don’t like it that I place the search sovereign as the Alpha of the new Web, then call it whatever you like.

Eliminate Google of the equation and try to imagine the Web without Google. Where would you be? What would your web positioning be? Would you rely on a different search engine? Probably on Yahoo!?

Embrace the Wind, Face the Change, Accept the Challenge

Many small companies still don’t understand that the Web is changing each day, because Google caused the search storm, because Google is now the mountain all try to turn over, the Titan they want to enchain.

And the wind is getting stronger and people still don’t see a basic truth: why is there so much struggle to “kill” Google? Why the challenge? Because everything revolves around Google. It still does and it will still be revolving for a while.

Looking at Google we have a lot to learn: we see a great company with amazing marketing skills, with stunning ideas and the power to reach for the stars. And the most amazing part is that Google does this not by forcing you into buying its products and services directly, but by conquering all possible fields and industries and giving you no other choice but to accept its presence.

* Google partnered with NASA. * Google will build artificial intelligence. * Google shows you your own home in its Google Maps results. * Google builds up a Web phone. * Google gives you the possibility to create and organize documents and PowerPoint presentations for free.

You get an almost unlimited number of free tools to manage your online business but unless you invest in the real deal (SEO, SEM, SMO and PPC) Google will not give you for free the most important gift: a place at the top of its SERPs.

Don’t relate “invest” solely with money. There are more ways to pay: time is one of them. How much time do you need to create relevant content? How long do you plan a website? What about research, networking?

The Web belongs to those who understand. You don’t need to be a visionary, but you do need to open your eyes and listen to the wind of change, and instead of following old patterns… INNOVATE.

Author:  Mihaela works as SEO specialist for Red Dog Communications and blogs at eWritings.

An opt-in list is a critical and important component for any kind of Internet-based business. Big, medium, small and even the very niche players can benefit from an opt-in list, as it has the capability to stuff some extra cash into their pockets. Look around the Internet yourself and scour for the big e-commerce boys - you will see that all of them, without exception, feature an opt-in list on their website.

An opt-in list is a marketing tool. You’ll have seen many fields on websites that scream “Subscribe to our newsletter/product promos, etc.” - these are opt-in fields where the surfer fills in his email, thereby consenting to receiving communication from that website. The website that collects the email then keeps communicating with the subscriber and keeps him updated on the topic to which he has subscribed.

As the subscriber voluntarily submits his email ID, it is understood that there is mutual consent between the website and the subscriber. This is why opt-in emails are not considered as spam mails. Opt-in lists can be effectively used to dispatch a whole number of useful and informative materials such as catalogs, newsletters and other promotional offers.

The percentage of Internet surfers who subscribe to opt-in lists is small, so therefore it is imperative that your mails to this small community must be meaningful, informative and entertaining. If your communication with your small community is run-of-the-mill, then your list will shrink. Teasers, promos, entertaining snippets and short bursts of informative news will keep them coming back to your website for more.

The prime objective of maintaining a list is to sell your products and services, and these sales will generate normal profits. You have to make some extra cash out of your list, which is highly possible, if you have a sizeable database of subscribers. Here are seven great tips on how to make extra money using your opt-in lists:

1) Sell advertisement space: Many companies want to advertise on lists that have a genuine and a sizeable database. If you have one, you can easily sell ad space on your mailings. Just one thing: Do not forget to place these ads at spots where they won’t irritate your subscribers. You can place several ads in a single mailing and this can be quite a money-spinner.

2) You must tie-up with websites who dabble in products or services that are related to your industry. Then you must evolve a CPC (Cost Per Click) marketing strategy and announce it to them. If they are interested, they may place CPC links on your list and pay you only on a per-click-basis. This is also called P4P or pay for performance.

3) You can strike deals with companies who are willing to sell their products to your list on a commission basis. Even if you’re only able to get a few sales, it’s money for jam.

4) You can also sell other companies’ products to your list on a consignment basis. Consignment sales pay more than commission-based sales and you will be expected to give these products more prominence in your newsletter, highlighting them, placing descriptions, articles and photos of the products. Again, if you are able to make a sale, it’s just more jam on the bread.

5) You can also try your hand at selling digital products such as e-books. Manuals, DIY and how-to articles are in great demand and their publishers pay a hefty commission - sometimes as high as 75%! Just take care to ensure that the e-book you’re going to hawk on your newsletter is related to the content.

6) Network your list. Ask people to refer their friends and relations. The larger your opt-in list, the higher your revenue will go, as sales and advertisement rates will soar.

7) Turn some of your subscribers into your partners by offering them an incentive if they are able to resell your products or services. Remember, this is Internet marketing, so the more resellers you recruit, the higher exposure you will get.

In the end, remember that an opt-in list is no ordinary means of communication - if planned and executed correctly, it can boost your business to unimaginable levels.

Author:  Read how one online marketer is planning to build an email list of one million subscribers at http://www.torbaypublishing.com/williec/article.html and how he boosted his ezine sign-up rate by 5200 MORE subscribers per month - virtually overnight - and how YOU can do the same. Check it out at http://www.torbaypublishing.com/williec/

Do you have a website that is getting very little or no traffic at all? Well, there are ways that you can change that even on a small marketing budget. We will review each of the strategies you can use to promote your website, and then we will try to assimilate them into a single, uniform strategy that is both highly effective and affordable.

First of all, TV commercials, radio ads, and print advertising are very expensive. This is undoubtedly the best way to launch a business, but the costs are prohibitive. A full page ad in a prominent magazine or other publication can run as high as $50,000 per ad. TV commercials can run just as high; if the commercial runs during a popular television show or sporting event, the cost will be enormous.

So, if you do not have enough money in the coffers for traditional advertising, you will likely have to use online marketing. This is not a bad thing. Offline advertising (i.e. radio, TV, print ads) is sometimes not effective. Marketing on the internet is cheaper, and if done correctly, can give you much more bang for your buck.

Obviously, the cornerstone of internet marketing is search engine submission and optimization. There are hundreds of different search engines and directories on the internet where you can submit your web site for a listing. This is fairly easy to do. Simply sign up for a monthly submission plan with a credible search engine submission service. There are literally hundreds of these submission services on the internet; you can find them by performing a search on Google.

However, be wary of submitters that claim to be able to submit your site to 75,000 search engines. Such services are scams, and they will submit your web page to FFA pages and bogus link pages that can actually get you banned from the search engines. You should only do business with submission services that submit to the major search engines and directories.

Now that we have covered submission, we need to talk about search engine optimization (SEO), which is even more important. To optimize a site, you need to maximize keyword density and optimize the positioning for the words or phrases that best characterize the subject matter of your site, and you need to use proper Meta tags so that the search engines can interpret your web pages.

If you do not know how to optimize your web site, you should search for an optimization professional on Google. Steer clear of SEO experts who want to charge $1,000 per month or more. Their goal is to bleed you dry before you figure out that they really can not help you get to the top of the rankings. Stick to providers who will optimize your site for a one-time fee.

More important than SEO is link popularity. Link popularity is the number of web sites that currently link to your site. The more inbound links you acquire, the higher your search engine ranking will be. There are more than a few ways to acquire links, but I have a certain strategy that worked well for me.

My advice to you is to write articles and press releases and submit them to article directories and press release distribution services who will then distribute your articles and press releases to other websites who will publish them and in return link back to you. Also, you can submit your site to bloggers through a popular service called Blogitive (Blogitive will get blogs to post one-way anchor text links to your site in their blog, which will greatly enhance your search engine ranking).

If you are not patient enough to wait for your search engine ranking to improve, you can attract visitors to your web site instantly by using pay-per-click advertising (PPC). With PPC, you pay a certain cost per click to have an ad for your web page run at or near the top of the search engine listings for certain keywords. This can be extremely costly and ineffective. It is not uncommon for webmasters to blow thousands of dollars on PPC advertising and make only a few sales.

The best way to promote your site, if you are actually selling something, is through an affiliate program. You need to provide an affiliate code to other online merchants so that they will place your banner on their site; every time you make a sale that resulted from an affiliate referral, the affiliate gets a commission. Some internet companies have thousands of affiliates, and get all the business they would ever need or want this way; and it costs you nothing.

To recruit affiliates, you should submit your affiliate program to as many directories as possible (there are directories where you can list your affiliate program for free). The best way to find affiliates is by listing your program on forums or message boards visited by webmasters who are looking to generate additional revenue for their online business. You will have to consult with an experienced programmer who can set up the affiliate program so that the codes used to track sales for each affiliate will work properly.

So, to summarize, you should first optimize your website and submit it to search engines. You should then begin submitting articles and press releases to article directories and press release distribution services. You should also submit your site to Blogitive so that bloggers will write a review of your site and link to it, further boosting your link popularity. You might want to join a link exchange, but trading links often proves fruitless. Also, you should set up an affiliate program. And finally, you should budget a small amount of money to spend each week on pay-per-click.

If you are persistent and use all of these methods, you will continually increase your traffic over a period of time. It will probably take approximately 3 years of performing each of the tasks outlined in this article, on a daily basis, to get where you want to be. Just stick with it and your efforts will be rewarded in the long run.

Author:  Jim Pretin is the owner of http://www.forms4free.com, a service that helps programmers make an HTML form

As an SEO one of the most common things I find when I sit down to analyze an existing web site is that it was built either a long time ago or with aging techniques. The situation is different every time, but I almost invariably find myself suggesting to the client that some coding changes are in order at the most basic level. This may be as simple as using proper heading tags where aging <font> tags were used to add relevance to the page. I often rebuild image-based navigation menus using CSS and valuable anchor text. In the more extreme cases I’ll suggest to the client that the best bet for on-page optimization is to reconstruct the site layout entirely with more SEO-friendly methods.

Table-based Woes

There are a lot of good arguments on both sides as to whether tables are still a good method to lay out web pages. With the advent of CSS-driven layouts several years ago it became possible to achieve very clean code while still creating vivid visual experiences. However, there are still plenty (and a majority, in my experience) of web sites out there that use tables for layout. Do these sites function more-or-less exactly like their CSS-driven counterparts? More-or-less, yes. The user experience can be identical. When it comes to the source code, however, there are usually some very big differences.

I recently rebuilt a client’s eCommerce site and the result was an estimated 300 less lines of code per page. While it would be arbitrary to argue that this count has a direct correlation to search rankings it certainly demonstrates the level of extraneous code that table-based layouts without significant CSS support can contain. This site was in particularly bad shape with no heading tags to be found and JavaScript-driven rollover images for all navigation.

It took about twelve hours to recode the template and migrate the content. Today this client enjoys much better rankings and traffic. All the result of the CSS rebuild? Obviously not - like any SEO worth his salt I combined this rebuild with ongoing link building and content optimization efforts. I find it hard to discount this, though, since the improvement in the hierarchy and density of content in the code was significant.

CSS and Information Hierarchy

Google openly calls for the proper use of HTML to tag page content and the maintenance of a clear hierarchy in their webmaster guidelines. Ignoring spam filter issues (which you should be effortlessly avoiding by being honest, right?) it makes sense to maintain proper tagging and organization in your source code. What makes CSS so viable a solution for SEO is that it keeps the layout and presentation out of the way. A well-coded page with proper CSS support can have all of the visuals of a table-based counterpart but with source code that is easy, even comfortable, to read for a human being. It isn’t much of a stretch to say that this cleanliness and organization probably improves page relevance in the eyes of Google and the crawl process as well.

Some other ways that a CSS-driven layout offers improvements:

• Faster page load times
• Code order flexibility (the ability to move content higher to the top of the source code without altering the page visually)
• Easier and quicker site updates and maintenance
• Improved accessibility (for vision-impaired users and otherwise)
• Link building opportunities (from online galleries for notably-designed CSS-driven web sites)

Crawler Resource Management

Google is running some of the most powerful servers in the world. No doubt, when Googlebot sets out to index pages it is driven by a very quick machine. However, the shear volume of the web as well as the rate at which Googlebot indexes new pages (usually a week or more) suggests that resource management is a big part of Google’s careful measurements. It is reasonable to expect, then, that when Googlebot visits a page that contains thousands of lines of code it doesn’t bother reading through to the end. At some point the crawlers will cut and run - there are, after all, billions of other web pages they need to get to. CSS-layouts drastically reduce the amount of source code needed to present content pages, making it less likely that Googlebot or another crawler will abandon the crawl process and leave your page before scanning all content.

Is rebuilding your site with a CSS-driven layout going to launch you to top rankings for competitive search terms? Probably not, but it should help. Most table-based sites that don’t use CSS support are also poorly optimized from other standpoints - inbound links, content relevance, keyword research, etc. A CSS-driven layout coupled with proper HTML tagging leaves you with the best platform possible to improve your search rankings down the line. It has also, in many cases, brought on an almost immediate improvement in search visibility for established web sites.

Author:  Mike Tekula is the founder and Lead Strategist at Tek Web Solutions, a New York SEO Company that specializes in driving increased web site traffic.

Link building strategies have, for most people for a long time, revolved around reciprocal link exchanges. Whilst most people understand that links are important, they generally don’t understand why this is so. In a nutshell, a link to your site has traditionally been accepted by Search Engines as a vote for your site. A link from a topic or theme-related site to yours is better than a link from a site having a completely different topic. An important site’s link to yours carries more weight - for example from The Open Directory, or Yahoo Directory. All pretty straightforward…

BUT… the rules have changed… significantly! All the thinking webmasters worked diligently to build links - willy-nilly - in order to subvert the search engine rankings and gain an advantage to themselves at the expense of everyone else.

For a long time, there have been mutterings about this, and comments from Google staffers about possible penalties from linking to “bad neighbourhoods’” and - heaven forbids it - buying links! Google et al simply don’t approve of willy-nilly link-building schemes, and have recently tightened the screws a bit more, in two notable ways…

Bad Links Some links are bad… for example, if you are a car sales company and you’ve got dozens of completely irrelevant links to international hotel sites… yeah, YOU know the ones! in Prague, Munich, Shanghai etc! That’s a BAD neighbourhood over there! That IS going to put a world of hurt on you! And as for the Free For All link sites, web rings, and 3 way link schemes… that’s just suicide in cyberspace! Why? Coz its a blatant and completely indefensible attempt at cheating the system!

Reciprocal Links - Almost a Waste of Effort

Reciprocal links are still of some value, providing the link titles are explicit, and if the page they link to you from has a higher Page Rank than the page from which you link to them. The concept of a link to you being a vote for you, and being added to your site’s Total Vote Count has a flip side. A link from you to someone else essentially deducts one vote from your total vote count… meaning its value is minimal when compared to a 1-way incoming back-link!

1-way Outward Links Are Toxic

Ok, lets assume you are a service provider, maybe a health clinic, and you deal with hospitals, other doctors, specialists, nurses, laboratories. So, as a benefit to your visitors, you place direct links to their web resources on your links page. Is that clever?

Most certainly it is NOT! Transfusion time, because you’ll be haemorrhaging Page Rank with nothing in return! Do it, but be smart about it, because there is NOTHING to be gained (by you) from linking to any site that does not link back. So make sure your links include the “nofollow” attribute that tells SE’s that the link is NOT a vote by your site for that site!

Link Content Is Mission Critical

This is mission critical because Google and other have decided that they can’t trust you to be honest about your site! Basically, it seems like there are two web tribes - those who know not so much about how things work, and those who know more than they should. There should also be a flourishing third tribe, who just build great sites with lots of terrific content that automatically ranks highly - but nobody’s seen nuthin’ from those guys for ages!

The tribe who know more than they should ruthlessly manipulate every available loophole to dominate search engine rankings, at the expense of those who have yet to read SEO For Dummies. Therefore, Google decided that its essential that there is some external correlation between what YOU say your site is about, and what OTHER people say your site is about… This is done by analysing the words in the Link Title on all links pointing to your site. Bottom line here is - if a keyword phrases does NOT appear on links to your site, you ain’t gonna rank for that phrase!

For many established sites, this is the main reason they might have experienced a noticeable decline in rankings in the last few months. Most older sites will have a majority of incoming links based on their business name, and NOT on their activities / products / services / location etc. To use the common “widgets” analogy - if you are selling “widgets” and all your incoming link Titles have your only business name e.g. Smiths Manufacturing Co Ltd, its now very difficult for you to rank for “widgets”!

Backlink analysis reveals this shortcoming rather quickly and, lucky for you, it is possible to remedy this by building 1-way incoming back-links using multiple Title / Description combinations that contain a good spread of relevant keywords. It does require some keyword research, and it is tedious - but if you don’t do it, you are certainly not going forwards! But your competitors might be…

Author:  Ben Kemp is a free-lance search engine optimisation consultant and web designer. He offers free SEO articles & web design tips, see The SEO Guys Blog

The days of putting up a website then waiting for it to show up on the first page of any search engine are long gone. Today it takes time and effort to see your site on the first page of results. However, most site owners do not know where to begin. By following these 10 steps you can increase your website’s natural search optimization and get the search engines to take notice.

1. Optimize for keyword content

To get listed in the search engines, each page of your site needs to be optimized to the best of your ability. Since the keywords you choose will be used throughout the optimization process, choosing the right ones is essential. If you choose the wrong keywords you will not be found in the search engines. If you are not found in the search engines how will anyone find your site? Pick one core term for each page and write the optimized text around it.

2. Write unique title tags

The title tag of your page is the most important factor to consider when optimizing your web page. This is because most engines place a high level of importance on information in your title tag. The title tag is used for the title of your listing in the search results and appears as the description at the top of your browser’s window. It should be a complete sentence and include your term(s) for that page. Do not overstuff this tag or your website will be penalized in the search results!

3. Implement quality Meta content

Meta is a part of the html code human visitors to your site rarely see. It is used by search engine visitors (robots) to help them determine what the page is about. Description Meta should be one or two core-term enriched sentences that do not exceed 250 characters. Keyword Meta is a list of terms relating to your page. The core term should appear at the beginning and end of this list. Limit the number of characters to 1,024, including spaces.

4. Content is king

Page content is one of the most important factors to letting visitors and search engines know what it is you are offering. Improve your content and you will improve your listings in search engines. Each page should have at least 200 words of copy and include your keywords. Write for the human visitors, not the search engines.

5. Use image alt text wisely

Each image on your page can include a keyword that relates to the image. This text will also help visitors that have their images turned off when visiting your site. This text can be included in the “alt” attribute of the html code for an image. The important thing is to describe the image first and then work in key terms.

6. Use a Robots.txt file

This text file is a roadmap of your web site. It should be placed in the root directory of your site, and it tells the search engine robots which sections they are not allowed in. It is one of the easiest tactics you can use to help ensure your site gets crawled. It’s also one of the most overlooked opportunities.

7. Use a Sitemap.xml file

A sitemap file tells engines the location of all the sections and pages of your website, how important each of those sections are to your site, and when those sections were last updated. When you change your content, update your sitemap file!

8. Get rid of duplicate content

It’s easy to use the same content for multiple pages on your site, especially if you’re a retailer and the manufacturer has already provided content for you. However, every time you use the same content you are taking a chance that the search engines will throw your site out of their results, thereby negating all of your hard work to get there in the first place. Take the time to rewrite each page, regardless of how similar it may be to another page. Get rid of mirrored sites or completely rewrite these as well. Also, rewrite an article at least twice for use in article syndication.

9. Create custom error pages

It is very easy to set up custom error pages that have the same look and feel as the rest of your site. They will help keep visitors and therefore search engine robots from reaching a dead end in your site and leaving.

10. Get validated!

First, validate your code for well-formed HTML. The rules of HTML have changed quite significantly over the years, and it is no longer optimal for you to generate messy, broken mark up. Although not a requirement, both Google and Yahoo mention it in their guidelines for webmasters. Second, validate your entire website through Google and Yahoo. This is a simple task that involves uploading a file to your site’s root directory or adding information to your meta tags. You can find more information on this process in the search engines’ Webmaster guidelines.

The 10 tips presented here are just the beginning of a well-optimized website. The depth of a successful natural search optimization strategy is beyond the scope of this article, but we hope this guide will help site owners improve their natural search optimization. For more tips visit westwardstrategy.com.

Author:  Gandolfo has over 5 years experience in online marketing, web development and natural search optimization for large corporations to start-ups and non-profits.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in visual communication from the University of Idaho and is a member of the Reno Tahoe AIGA.

There is a current and active way to knock a website out of Google’s search engine results. It’s simple and effective. This information is already in the public domain and the more people that know about it, the more likelihood there is that Google will do something about it. This article will tell you how it works, how to get a website knocked out of the search engine rankings, but most importantly, how to defend your own website from having it happen to you.

To understand this exploit, you must first understand about Google’s Duplicate Content filter. It’s simply described thus: Google doesn’t want you to search for “blue widget” and have the top 10 search terms returned copies of the same article on how great blue widgets are. They want to give you ONE copy of the Great Blue Widget article, and 9 other different results, just on the off chance that you’ve already read that article and the other results are actually what you wanted.
To handle this, every time Google spiders and indexes a page, it checks it to see if it’s already got a page that is predominantly the same, a duplicate page if you will. Exactly how Google works this out, nobody knows exactly, but it is going to be a combination of some or all of: page text length, page title, headings, keyword densities, checking exactly copy sentence fragments etc. As a result of this duplicate content filter, a whole industry has grown up around trying to get round the filter. Just search for “spin article”.
Getting back to the story here, Google indexes a page and lets say it fails it’s duplicate content check, what does Google do? These days, it dumps that duplicate page in Google’s Supplemental Index. What, you didn’t know that Google has 2 indexes? Well they do: the main one, and a supplemental one. Two things are important here: Google will always return results from their Main index if they can; and they will only go to the Supplemental index if they don’t get enough joy from their main index. What this means is that if your page is in the supplemental index, it’s almost certain that you will never show up in the Search Engine Ranking Pages, unless there is next to no competition for the phrase that was searched for.
This all seems pretty reasonable to me, so what’s the problem? Well there’s another little step I haven’t mentioned yet. What happens if someone copies your page, let’s say your homepage of your business website, and when Google indexes that copy, it correctly determines that it’s a duplicate. Now Google knows about 2 pages that it knows are duplicates, it has to decide which to dump in the supplemental index, and which to keep in the main one. That’s pretty obvious right? But how does Google know which is the original and which is the copy? They don’t. Sure they have some clever algorithms to work it out, but even if they are 99% accurate, that leaves a lot of problems for that 1% of times they can get it wrong!
And this is the heart of the exploit, if someone copies your website’s homepage say, and manages to convince Google that “their” page is the original, your homepage will get tossed into the supplemental index, never to see the light of day in the Search Engine Ranking Pages again. In case I’m not being clear enough, that’s bad! But wait, it gets worse:
It’s fair to say that in the case of a person physically copying your page and hosting it, you can often get them to take it down through the use of copyright lawyers, and cease and desist letters to ISP’s and the like, with a quick “Reinclusion Request” to Google. But recently there’s a new threat that’s a whole lot harder to stop: the use of publicly accessible Proxy websites. (If you don’t know what a Proxy is, it’s basically a way of making the web run faster by caching content more local to your internet destination. In principle, they are generally a good thing.)
There are many such web proxies out there, and I won’t list any here, however I will describe the process: they send out spiders (much like Google’s) and they spider your page, take your content, then they host a copy of your website on their proxy site, nominally so that when their users request your page, they can serve up their local copy quickly rather than having to retrieve if off your server. The big issue is that Google can sometimes decide that the proxy copy of your web page is the original, and yours is not.
Worse again, there’s some evidence that people are deliberately and maliciously using proxy servers to cache copies of web pages, then using normal (white and black hat) Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques to make those proxy pages rank in the search engine, increasing the likelihood that your legitimate page will be the one dumped by the search engines’ duplicate content filters. Danger Will Robinson!
Even worse still, some of the proxy spiders actively spoof their origins so that you don’t realise that it’s a spider from a proxy, as they pretend to be a Googlebot for example, or from Yahoo. This is why the major search engines actively publish guidelines on how to identify and validate their own spiders.
Now for the big question, how can you defend against this? There are several possible solutions, depending on your web hosting technology and technical competence:
Option 1 - If you are running Apache and PHP on your server, you can set the webhost up to check for search engine spiders that purport to be from the main search engines, and using php and the .htaccess file, you can block proxies from other sources. However this only works for proxies that are playing by the rules and identifying themselves correctly.
Option 2 - If you are using MS Windows and IIS on your server, or if you are on a shared hosting solution that doesn’t give you the ability to do anything clever, it’s an awful lot harder and you should take the advice of a professional on how to defend yourself from this kind of attack.
Option 3 - This is currently the best solution available, and applies if you are running a PHP or ASP based website: you set ALL pages robot meta tags to noindex and nofollow, then you implement a PHP or ASP script on each page that checks for valid spiders from the major search engines, and if so, resets the robot meta tags to index and follow. The important distinction here is that it’s easier to validate a real spider, and to discount a spider that’s trying to spoof you, because the major search engines publish processes and procedures to do this, including IP lookups and the like.
So, stay aware, stay knowledgeable, and stay protected. And if you see that you’ve suddenly been dumped from the Search Engine Rankings Pages, now you might know why, how and what to do about it.

Author:  Sophie White is an Internet Marketing and Website Promotion Consultant at Intrinsic Marketing an SEO and Pay-Per-Click firm dedicated to supplying Better Website ROI.

Really Simple Syndication (RSS) is a tool useful for saving or retaining updated information on websites that you frequently visit or websites that are your favorite. RSS utilizes an XML code which scans continuously the content or subject matter of a certain website in search for new informations then transmits the information updates by way of feeding the information to subscribers.

RSS feeds are generally being utilized in blogs or news sites, though any website wanting to broadcast and publish information can use them. Once new information is sent, it will contain a headline, a little bit of text, and either a rundown or a brief review of the news or story. A link is needed be clicked upon to read further.

So as to accept RSS feeds, a feed reader is needed, called an aggregator. Aggregators are widely and freely available online, and all that is needed is a bit of searching, you will be able to locate a certain interface that best interest you. What’s more, RSS feeds can likewise be read and retrieved from cell phones and on PDAs.

Once you encounter upon a website that you want to add or insert to the aggregator, the process can be done in two ways. Almost all sites offering an RSS feed displays an “RSS” or “XML” button in their homepage and with one click, it promptly add that particular feed to one’s aggregator. Some aggregator however, requires the need to copy and then paste the URL of the feed unto the program.

Whatever the method used, you can be certain that the feed will be accessible soon as you have inserted it, likewise, in just seconds, the next update can arrive. In the event that you do not anymore would want to accept or take in updates, you may simply delete or erase the feed from the aggregator.

Through e-mail subscriptions, you can receive newsletters. RSS feeds on the other hand, can be more convenient in keeping up with newsletter updates since they are prompt and available in an instant; you no longer have to wait for a scheduled time or day to obtain a news summary, plus, these news will never be detained through a spam filter. RSS feeds are widely used everyday by individuals who understand and appreciate the accessibility of fast reports and news that can be readily read and only read certain updates that appeals to them.

Aggregators

Aggregators are popular use of feeds, having several kinds. Web aggregators or portals as they are sometimes called, create this view which is then made available in a Web page. Also, Aggregators have been incorporated into e-mail patrons, users of desktops, or dedicated and standalone software.

Offering a collection of special features, such as combining more than a few related feeds in just a single view, hiding certain entries or statements that has been already viewed, and classifying entries and feeds, the aggregator is a versatile component.

Why make a feed available?

You will have more viewers, since now, your viewers can conveniently see your site without even going out and looking for that certain site. While at first, it may seem corrupt, it will in fact enhance the visibility of your site; this is so because users can easily keep up or keep tract with your site, to allow them to view in a way that they want to; it’s more probable that guests are aware should something that is in their interest is available or accessible on your site.

For instance, every month your website broadcasts a new feature. Having no feed, your viewers will always have to keep in mind to go to your site in a certain time to see if they discover something new; that is, if they can remember, and if they still have the time. However, if you supply a feed for your viewers, they can just point to their aggregator and it will instantly provide them a link along with a description of happenings or events at your site immediately.

What format to choose?

Syndication is very confusing as it uses a lot of formats that can usually be come across in the web. However, this can easily be solved as in general, syndicated libraries are used by aggregators which conceptualize a particular format that a feed is in, in order that they can utilize a certain syndication feed.

With this, whatever format to pick is just a matter of personal preference. RSS 1.0 is far reaching, and practical should it be integrated into Semantic Web systems. RSS 2.0 is very easy and simple create by hand. And atom is an IETF Standard, does it brings constancy, stability and a natural and accepted community to support its usage.

Checkout Great Blog and RSS products at http://www.atclickbank.com

Author:   James Murray is a successful writer and online gambling expert providing valuable tips and advice for those interested in gambling and online gambling strategies. His numerous articles found on the Internet ,provide useful and factual gambling information and insight. Some of his websites are http://www.casinospokerrooms.com , http://www.bingosbingos.com , http://www.top-sportsbook.ca.

Increasing traffic is actually easier than it seems–provided you know how. In this article, we will go over 7 specific methods of increasing traffic. These are guaranteed methods to draw more visitors to your blog.

Tip #1: Sign up for pinging services It seems pretty obvious, but most bloggers, even those who are more experienced, don’t sign up for pinging services. If you’re new to blogging and don’t know what pinging means, pinging basically means that when your blog is updated, a “ping” is sent out by the service to let pinging sites know that your blog has been updated. People who are visiting sites with pinging services will then see your blog flash across the side of the screen as “newly updated”. Pinging services include Yahoo’s blogs, weblogs.com, Google Blog search, and ZingFast.

Tip #2: Sign up for Technorati If you go to technorati.com, you’ll see an option on the left side of the screen to “Claim Your Blog”. Doing so allows you to get updated link counts, add your photo or branding to Technorati, and see your Technorati link.

Having your blog claimed on Technorati helps to increase traffic because the millions of people who go to that site will have a chance to see your blog on there.

Tip #3: Sign up for FeedBurner, a RSS service What FeedBurner basically does for your blog is it helps you to promote your blog’s content, build your audience and measure your audience. In other words, it helps you increase your blog’s traffic.

Tip #4: Bookmark your blogs at places like del.icio.us You can set up an account and profile at del.icio.us. Then, using that, you can add links to your blog along with excerpts from your blog. Anytime someone visits your profile on del.icio.us, they will see a link to your blog and excerpts. There are other social bookmarking sites that you can use in much the same way. The bottom line is, using these social bookmarking sites can help you increase traffic.

Tip #5: Post comments at other blogs No, this doesn’t mean you should go and spam other blogs with comments that are only there to promote a site. It means that you should visit similar blogs to your own, post legitimate comments and then sign your name(along with a link to your blog). This way, people know you aren’t there just to promote your site–you’re there to post a good piece of feedback and also say where you’re from.

Tip #6: Ask owners of other blogs to post a link to yours Find other blogs that are similar to yours. If they seem to be decently popular(that is, they have a good amount of comments for each post), you can try to contact the owner of the blog to add a link to your blog if they have a links section. To make them really want to do this, you can offer to link back to their blog on your blog. People do this reciprocal blog linking all the time and it does help to increase traffic.

Tip #7: Use keywords in your blog Like regular web pages, having a good keyword density on a blog is a terrific way of getting search engine spiders to notice your page. (FYI: Search engine spiders are programs from search engines that browse sites and report back their findings to the search engine database, which then lists that site. The more keywords on your site, the more likely it is for a search engine spider to pay a visit)

If your average blog posting is around 200 words, try to use 2-6 keywords per blog post. 2-6 keywords in a blog posting of 200 words is a keyword density of between 1 and 3 percent, a respectable number. Remember that you don’t want to use too many keywords, as that will make your blog look bad. Also be sure that the keywords used are relevant to your blog. Before even making a blog posting, decide what the post will be about and then select a keyword or two to use in your post. Then do it. It’s a surefire way of getting more traffic to your site!

Signing up with a service like Technorati is a quick, painless way of increasing traffic to your blog. So sign up today!

Author:  Terry Detty, 42, enjoys all aspects of internet marketing and getting out for a breath of fresh air occasionally. Online internet marketing, time and attendance and fix my credit.