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Back to Basics in SEO 
By Shawn Campbell (c) 2005

There has been a lot of talk about Google and MSN's new
algorithms and Yahoo's search engine changes. When these changes
finally do occur, it is always important to remember the number
one rule in SEO: DON'T PANIC!

If there is one guaranteed constant in this business it is that
there will always be changes in the search engines' rankings.
Our job, as search engine marketers, is to stay on top of the
changes and to monitor how the change affects our clients'
site's traffic.

I am actually excited about any algorithm change, because it
means that the search engines should actually get better.

What follows is a "back to the basics" on getting good rankings:

Keyphrases

First things first: Always be sure to research the keyphrases
you intend on using. Find out what keyphrases Internet users
most often employ to find your product or service. There is no
point optimizing your site for "online web marketing" if
everyone types in "Internet marketing".

Once you have a list of potential keyphrases with a high amount
of Internet traffic, comb over that list and see which
keyphrases best describe your product or service. These are the
ones you should consider.

Here are some sites that can help you in your research:

   * Wordtracker (http://www.wordtracker.com)
   * Google AdWords (https://adwords.google.com/select/) (Click
     to sign up, it is free to do the keyphrase research)
   * Snap www.snap.com

Competition

Research your competition with these questions in mind:

   * What keyphrases are they using (take a peek at their
     keyword Meta tag)?
   * What are the titles of their sites?
   * When you do a search for the keyphrases you are
     considering, who comes up in the top five rankings?
   * What is their title/keyphrases?
   * Are the top ranking sites your competitors or are they
     industry associations?

Use the keyword effectiveness index (KEI) tool at Wordtracker
to compare the effectiveness of your keyphrases. A higher KEI
signifies a better ratio of demand-to-competition for a
keyphrase.

Do a link search to see who is linking to your competition. In a
search engine, type in "link:" (without the quotes) followed by
the URL you want to verify. This will allow you to see all the
important links to the site that the search engine tracks (I
would recommend doing this in both Google and Yahoo).

   * Can you get links from the same sites as your
     competitors?
   * Are there industry associations or organizations that are
     linking to the top sites, but not to you?

Get your link campaign going! (see the article about linking
for search engines
(http://www.redcarpetweb.com/promotion/0411.html#feature) to
learn why links are important)

Optimizing Your Web Site

Now that you know what keyphrase you are optimizing for, here is
how to optimize your site: write good quality content that
focuses on your keyphrases.

Above all else, this is the single most important factor.

Sure there are other on-site factors such as:

* Getting the keyphrase into the title (this is the second most
  important factor)

* Getting the keyphrase into the Meta description tag, the Meta
  keyword tag, the headers and sub headers, the alt tags, and
  into some link text (some of these factors are VERY minor)

* Having a good site map so that the search engine spiders can
  easily navigate your site

* Having a robots.txt to include the pages that you want the
  search engines to include

* Don't use frames

* Use flash wisely (not the WHOLE site in flash)

* Use external files for your java-scripts

* Use cascading style sheets (a .css file)

* Use dynamic URL's wisely (Avoid using URL's with ? or & in
  them)

Content is king

Oh...and did I mention that you need to write good quality
content that focuses on your keyphrases? All of the points above
are superfluous if you don't have good content. Content is the
food that the search engine spiders like to gobble up with a
voracious appetite. The items below are just the side dishes.
You need good content to get decent rankings, but you need the
side dishes to become a serious competitor in your market.

   * Write about your keyphrases.
   * Write extra pages.
   * Write about your industry.
   * Write about your product or service's uses.
   * How will your product/service improve the life of the
     consumer? Find out, and then write about it.
   * Why is your product/service better than your competitor's?
     Think of a reason and write about it.
   * What is the history of your product/service? Or your
     industry? Write about it.
   * Who are you? Everyone always enjoys "about us" pages...
   * And of course, be sure to serve the search engine spiders
     with a tasty main dish full of keyphrases!

Whatever you do, be sure that you don't write junk or filler
copy and double check that everything reads well. Keep in mind
that writing about your keyphrase doesn't mean adding the
keyphrase unnaturally into the text. If you have any doubts,
employ the talents of an expert to do the writing for you!

Links

Start soliciting links today! Get people in your industry to
link to you. Contact:

   * Industry associations and organizations
   * Web sites about your industry
   * Sites related to your product or service
   * Suppliers
   * Resellers
   * Competitors who don't compete in the same region
   * Sites that sell products/services that relate to yours,
     but don't compete directly

See my article on soliciting links for more information on how
to go about it: Linking is Queen
(http://www.redcarpetweb.com/promotion/0409.html#feature)

Submissions

Submit to all the directories you can find, so long as they are
related (e.g., don't submit to the Abba directory unless your
site is about Abba). Submitting to a directory should not be a
mindless activity. Read the directory's directions on how to
submit VERY CAREFULLY. Write your description very well, and
tailor it to each directory in order to follow their guidelines.
Make sure you submit (and get in) to www.dmoz.org
(http://www.dmoz.org/) - it is probably the most important
directory out there today.

Do research and find "vertical directories" that focus on your
industry, and submit to them. These directories are very
important because, for example, if you have a dodo bird site,
what better potential client than someone who found you through
a dodo bird directory!

Search engines and directories are different. Do not confuse
them. You can submit to all the search engines you can find, but
it usually won't do much because the good search engines will
find you anyway. Submitting to random search engines will
usually only increase your email spam. Don't waste your money on
search engine submission software for the same reasons.

Here is a partial list of the current important search engines:

   * Google
   * Yahoo
   * MSN

Conclusion

   * Build your web site for your customers, within the
     guidelines that the search engines set out.
   * Don't make the site awkward by over-conforming.
   * The site's first focus should be on what your clients want.
   * Create good content. Good, quality content that reads well
     and flows seamlessly.
   * Update it regularly. An active, living site is healthier
     than a stagnant, dead one (the search engines spiders like
     their food alive and full of life).

And remember: Content is King!

================================================================
Shawn Campbell (mailto:shawn@redcarpetweb.com) is the co-founder
and Chief Search Engine Optimizer at Red Carpet Web Promotion,
Inc. (http://www.redcarpetweb.com/) www.redcarpetweb.com
================================================================

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