Meta Tags and Google

Meta tags were one of the first implemented techniques used by search engines. The two prime meta tags you’ll find on web pages are “keywords” and “description.” The keywords tag is used by some uncommon search engines, so it’s still slightly useful. Some webmasters stuff the keywords meta tag with dozens of phrases to improve index rank in Google. However, Google does not include the keyword meta tag in its algorithm, so stuffing code into this part of your web pages does not improve rank.
The description meta tag is still used by Google, but webmasters should only insert one or two sentences in the code. The description should be carefully considered, since this is the snippet seen on the search engine results page. The description should display an overview of the web page. Additionally, Google does not always honor description meta tags if the algorithm does not detect valid text. If this happens, Google’s algorithm will replace description meta tags with other text within the page.

Create Multiple Domain Names for Better Rank

An old technique used by webmasters is creating multiple domains to promote one business entity. Webmasters bought several domains and interlinked them together to pass PageRank and improve organic search results. However, Google now penalizes this practice. The common term given to people who host dozens and even hundreds of domains is “domain farm.” A domain farm webmaster attempts to saturate the search engines with dozens of domain names, so his websites dominate the search engine results. These websites normally have similar or identical content, but the business is indexed several times in the search engines. Google has added domain farming into the company’s guidelines as a black hat method. Consequently, a webmaster who runs a domain farm can have all of his work devalued by Google and ultimately cost thousands of dollars in lost revenue. For some webmasters, Google may remove the domain farm altogether from the index.

Doorway Pages Bring in More Sales

Doorways are one-page websites that point to the main domain of the business. Similar to a domain farm, these sites were popular as a means to get several websites into the search engine results page. Doorway sites are distinct from domain farms in that they have one page of links and very rarely have any content. A doorway website may rank high in Google for a short period of time, but very rarely does the page keep its rank.

Keyword Stuffed Content

Keywords and keyword phrases are the main component of website content. Google has perpetuated the increase in the need for content on websites. Google has hundreds of factors it uses to rank a web page, but one known way to boost search engine rank is by writing content that uses keyword phrases. Keyword phrases that focus on a website’s purpose increase search engine rank for that phrase. For instance, if a website design company wanted to rank for the phrase “website design,” the webmaster needs to focus on this phrase within the page content. However, keyword stuffing is a blackhat technique that can lead to a penalty.
Many people write articles with the intention of including keyword phrases at a certain percentage throughout the article. There is no documentation from Google that recommends a certain percentage of keywords. In fact, Google has stated that writing naturally on pages improves search engine rank performance and helps webmasters avoid a penalty.

Duplicate Content and Articles

One of the most popular myths on the Internet is that duplicate content increases search engine rank. The myth has made webmasters believe that articles should be posted on several websites with links that point back to the business domain. In fact, duplicate content should be avoided. Duplicate content devalues a site, and it causes erratic behavior from Google. Duplicate articles should not be hosted on several e-zine sites. Instead, create content rich articles and host them on your own website. Monitor your content for theft to avoid getting stuck in Google’s content duplication filter.
These five SEO myths are the most popular reasons webmasters incorporate poor optimization on a website and find their domains buried in the list of results. Ensure you read the Google webmaster guidelines before incorporating any SEO on your website. Additionally, be careful of scams that promise to bring your web page to the top of the search engine ranks. Many SEO experts use black hat techniques that do more harm than good for a website. Follow the Google guidelines, and a slow, gradual increase in rank will be accomplished.

Pages Inaccessible Without a User-Submitted Form

Any section of your website which requires extra user interaction to access will not be indexed by the search engines. If you want the content of your site to be indexed, then it needs to be public. Search engine crawlers cannot submit forms or do anything else other than scan content which is visible to anyone. Any content or links that you want the search engines to see should be outside of any restricted section of the site. Likewise, search engine crawlers cannot see any content which is only accessible by performing a search.

Content in Java, Flash and Other Plug-Ins

Content programed in Java, Flash or any other plug-in cannot be scanned and indexed by search engine crawlers. Any content including links and keywords embedded into these mediums will be completely invisible to the search engine crawlers. This is precisely why it is a bad idea to have a site fully programmed in Java or Flash unless you don’t care about search engine optimization or you have a text-based version of the website which the search engine crawlers can read.

Content Blocked by robots.txt

Robots.txt is a robots exclusion protocol (REP). It is a text file stored in the root directory of your web server. This text file allows web masters to specify which pages of their websites should not be indexed by the search engines. If you find that your site does not appear in any search results, you should try checking through the robots.txt file to see if anything is excluded. There are also other methods of blocking content from the search engine crawlers such as Meta Robots. This provides more features and customizability.

Too Many Links on a Page

Depending on the search engine, crawlers only scan a limited number of links. This is typically no more than 100 links per page. The idea is to help cut down on spam and keep accurate rankings. If you have a page containing too many links, split it into different pages, ideally categorizing your list of links in the process to make for a more user-friendly experience for your visitors.

The Google Algorithm is a very complex tool which is constantly being tweaked to allow only the most relevant results on top of its pages. This algorithm is not revealed to the public, nor does it discriminate between individuals when it comes to online content, which means that anyone in the world has an equal chance of getting their site on the first page. It is however important to understand that this process takes time and that nothing will happen if enough effort isn’t put into ranking your site.

The first thing a successful webmaster must know when it comes to ranking websites is Search Engine Optimization or SEO. This acronym will be thrown at you very often if you decide to venture in this field, but what is it exactly? Some Internet Gurus market it as “voodoo” or magic they perform on their sites in order for them to rank on the first page. Search Engine Optimization is actually very simple, it is the action of providing your website with the best possible tools to succeed on the web. SEO is broken down into two major branches: on-page SEO and off-page SEO. It is crucial to have optimal on-page SEO before moving on; this article will therefore only cover the best practices when it comes to your own web pages.

The first rule when it comes to internet marketing is to have unique content and this is absolutely crucial; Google will quickly notice the page that has been copied from a different source and the page in question will disappear from Google in a second. Unique content is not the only thing required by Google, it will also eliminate all pages which try and cheat their way to the top. Make sure to stay away from shady methods you encounter all over the web and take no easy shortcuts! Once a topic has been selected, it is important to check the Google Keyword Tool and pick the right keyword for each page. If you are just beginning in this field, it is important to set realistic goals and pick a low competition keyword which will be indicated in the Google Keyword Tool. With your keyword in hand you can start writing a five hundred to seven hundred word article or page; make sure to include the chosen keyword at least ten times. Your article will also need a catchy title containing the keyword you chose. It is also crucial to write the proper description of your page ensuring the keyword you chose is mentioned at least twice.

There are a lot of discussions and debates on the web which claim the keyword has to be included ten or twenty times, once or twice in the title, at the beginning or the end of your article, but you need to understand those are simply speculations. Not a single person in this world knows the exact answer to getting a page to the first rank, but you have just been given the tool with which you can experiment and see what works best for you!

Before you even begin to create a Facebook business page, it’s essential to get the right name for your page. It’s not acceptable to simply use generic terms for your page title, or use multiple keywords in the title as an SEO strategy. Facebook are stamping out such tactics and you could get banned. Besides, it will ultimately harm your long-term growth within Facebook, as users won’t appreciate a name that sounds like spam. As a general rule, simply use the real name of your business, and stick with it. Changing it later could damage your ranking with Google.

With Facebook’s recent addition of usernames or “vanity URLs,” you have more opportunity to include keywords for SEO purposes. As with page titles, Facebook frowns upon generic terms, so it’s probably best to combine your business name with additional keywords. As long as you have at least 25 fans, you can take advantage of this useful SEO tool.

When creating your Facebook page, make certain you fill in as much information as possible. For example, every Facebook page has in “Info” tab that contains fields for important page information. This is one of the easiest ways to improve your SEO power. Here, you can include keyword-rich descriptions of your business, products and services, and add direct links to company websites or links to any other relevant platform. The “About” box is especially important as this information appears close to the top of your page and is therefore more valuable for SEO purposes.

Another effective SEO tool that should be used is the static Facebook Markup Language (FBML) application. Developed by Facebook engineers, this application enables administrators of a business page to add extra content to a page using CSS, HTML, JavaScript, and FBML. Using this application, you can add additional content to your page such as text, links, and videos. Although you may need to research how to use the application, it’s an extremely useful SEO tool to strengthen your online presence.

Having more inbound links to your Facebook business page will also improve your ranking with search engines. Therefore, remember to include links to your page on your website and other relevant platforms online. Facebook has even made available a “Find Us On Facebook” badge which you can take advantage of.

Status updates offer another way to improve your SEO strategy. Including relevant URLs within the text of an update will help to improve your Google ranking. Posting links to other pages on Facebook and the internet gives your page more credibility and enhances your status in the eyes of search engines. When posting photos, make sure you use appropriate keywords in the description. Also consider adding a discussion forum to your page. All of the content on your page can have an effect on how you are viewed by search engines.

As always, fresh and relevant content must be a part of your SEO strategy. Regularly post informative and entertaining content on your wall, post questions and surveys, offer exclusive deals to fans, and harness the power of YouTube videos. Attaching videos to your business page is a smart way to improve your ranking with Google. A Facebook page that is rich with exciting content should result in more fans. And more fans represent more reciprocal links, which should improve your status with the search engines. With Facebook, the power of user interaction should not be underestimated.

All of these factors can improve your SEO strategy, as long as you’re committed to regularly updating your Facebook page and reviewing which tactics work best for your business. Having an effective SEO strategy can improve your chances of reaching a wider Facebook audience. Furthermore, it can make your business more visible online.

Avoid the excessive use of ad banners and text ads because they have a negative effect on many users. Instead, use anchor text inside your articles for displaying ads only when internet users click on the highlighted keywords.

You can use free images from Flickr.com, Photoshop, and many other websites to make your pages appealing. Images are very important for capturing the public’s attention. Use impressive and intriguing pictures in all blog posts and use as many human images as you can. Research reveals that the human image in web pages has a magnetic effect that reduces bounce rates.

Only write unique content for your blog, or purchase original articles written by ghostwriters. Quality content will guarantee an excellent ranking for your blog, especially if you post a new article everyday. The more articles you post per day, the better.

Place a list with your best blog posts on the blog’s side bar to enable all new visitors to read your most interesting posts as soon as they land on your blog page. This way you will immediately capture their attention.

You should also place a Facebook ‘Like’ button under all blog posts so that your readers can click on them. This simple practice will generate viral traffic to your blog. You can easily get the Facebook ʽLikeʼ button by installing the Facebook Like Plugin onto your WordPress blog.

Another effective and simple way to promote your blog is by submitting its RSS feed to various RSS directories, like Blogcatalog, Icerocket, and many others. You’ll find a complete list of these directories if you type the keywords ‘RSS directories’ into a search engine.

You should also add a big RSS button to your blog, helping your readers easily find out how to become your subscribers. The more subscribers your blog gets, the better will be its ranking. This is another reason why you should post a new article every day. Most internet users subscribe only to blogs where they can find daily blog posts.

Another easy way to promote your blog is by pinging it at Pingomatic.com. You can also submit its URL to various search engines by using the services of SiteSubmitURL, Imautomator, and many others.

Finally, look for do-follow blogs related to your topic at BlogSearch.Google.com and leave lots of interesting comments under various articles, so that you will attract target traffic to your blog. Always read each article before leaving a comment, and never write evasive terms used by spammers, like ‘Great post’ or similar. Focus on adding interesting observations. Your comments will only attract the attention of readers if they are intelligently crafted.

There are numerous ways in which Twitter can help your business. One of the most important aspects of this social networking site is its ability to instantly humanize your business. Company websites can lack the capacity to immediately relate to customers on a personal level. Twitter, on the other hand, enables customers and employees to have direct contact with you and each other in a more informal setting. Offering employees a way of communicating in a more relaxed environment can also lead to a more creative and cohesive team.

With a platform like Twitter, you can also quickly and easily post news updates about your company, broadcast your latest promotions, and keep customers and business associates fully informed about any aspect of your company. Essentially, it’s an excellent space for press releases. By spreading information and ideas to new places, you can use Twitter as a tool to build your brand in the public consciousness. This can ultimately drive more traffic to your website and generate sales without aggressive sales tactics.

As well as broadcasting information, Twitter allows you to get invaluable feedback from the online community. It’s akin to an instant focus group, where you can ask questions or ask for opinions on practically anything. Both customers and employees can let you know what they think of a certain product, idea, or strategy. You can even gain valuable information about what people think about your competitors. At any time of the day or night, all over the world, people can respond to your questions. Where else could you find such illuminating, truthful insights into your products or services? With this sort of information at your fingertips, you have a great opportunity to brainstorm and improve upon aspects of your business such as product lines and customer support. It’s promotional and productive at the same time.

One of the most attractive reasons for using Twitter is its networking capability. Without too much effort, you can reach out to other professionals, locally and throughout the world. After being on Twitter for a short time, your name and business can be seen by other suppliers, retailers, marketing firms, industry experts, and other valuable people in the business community. This can ultimately lead to new contacts and relationships which will ultimately help the growth of your business.

As long as you use Twitter sensibly, it’s an acceptable place to promote your business. However, there are certain unwritten rules that you should follow to remain a reputable company. Posting links to your business website or blog gives people the opportunity to find out more, but don’t overdo it. It’s important to remember that Twitter is fundamentally a community website – it’s not a space to post ads. Inevitably, some people do take an aggressive approach to promotion, but a more subtle approach is required if you really want to build trust with your followers. Few people will respect your business if you are constantly trying to sell them something. You’re more likely to achieve positive results by using Twitter as a long-term marketing strategy, not just a quick promotional tool.

Twitter can be an effective marketing and SEO tool, but only as part of your overall campaign. With many businesses joining its community every day, why not be a part of this stimulating and constructive online community? Just remember to post interesting and relevant information, interact with others, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. With millions of potential customers, Twitter has given businesses a golden opportunity for rejuvenation and growth.

When to Use a .com TLD

The .com TLD is by far the most popular in use today. This is for good reason too. By default, most browsers allow you to automatically complete a web address by pressing control and enter when you type the name of the website. Doing this will automatically add the www. and the .com parts of the address and then open up the website. This can be customized though few people ever bother to do it.

Many people are more likely to remember a .com address as well. For this reason, a .com address is ideal for any site targeted towards an international audience. If in doubt, a .com address is still the best option.

When to Use a Country Code TLD

Country code TLDs also have their place, though they are often not as useful as a .com address. If your website is targeted towards a more local audience, a country code TLD immediately tells visitors that they are looking at a local website. If you run an online shop selling products in the UK to UK citizens, a .co.uk address would be much more suitable. For advertising purposes, it lets visitors know that the site is specifically relevant to them. This may be exactly what you want to achieve.

Other TLDs

Other fairly popular TLDs include .info, .net and .org. These are best suited to informational resources, portal websites and non-profit organizations respectively. Registering one of these TLDs is generally not advisable unless it is registered in addition to a .com or other domain. An exception to this is the .net TLD. This can be more suitable for Internet-related services. A .com version of the address should still be registered as well.

There are other TLDs which are suitable for specific types of content. This includes some Country Code TLDs which are open for registration to almost anyone. Some examples of these include .me for Montenegro, .fm for Micronesia, .tv for Tuvalu and .cd for Congo. While it might seem catchier for an online radio website to use the .fm extension, it is still usually a good idea to have a .com version as well.

There are many other TLDs which are restricted and can only be used be specific types of organizations such as .mobi for mobile websites, .aero for airlines and .gov for government organizations etc.

Internationalized Country Code TLDs

An internationalized country code TLD is a TLD for a specific country which uses a script other than the standard Latin-based ASCII text. Although internationalized domains are still in their infancy, some of them are now available in certain locations. As it becomes harder to find the perfect address with so many other websites to contend with, internationalized TLDs may become very popular in the coming years. It is still a long way off before international TLDs become standard. For this reason, it is currently not advisable to rely on them. Internationalized TLDs are currently available for the Cyrillic, Arabic and Chinese scripts.

You’ve heard all the hype about blogs and websites earning tons of cash, you’ve researched a bit and found out it could catapult you from obscurity to fame, and you’re not afraid of hard work. Finally, you try your luck and launch your own blog. So far, so good. It looks a bit empty, so you type-out your first post, critique it thoroughly, and put it up for the world to see. It will only be a matter of days before someone finds their way into your site. Weeks pass by, but all you get are a couple of visitors who don’t even bother to leave comments. You post a few more articles but with less enthusiasm this time. In the end, your commitment to continue falters because of the lack of traffic. It seems rather pointless to persist. Ultimately, you just give up.

If this sounds like you, don’t fret. Most beginners have good intentions when they start a blog or website. They seriously want to deliver quality information that can help a lot of people. The only problem is that they lack a basic understanding of search engine optimization (SEO). SEO is the backbone of internet success. It is the process of designing and developing your website in order to make it more appealing to search engines such as Google, Yahoo!, and MSN and ensures that the website will be indexed and cataloged in the rankings. You want to shoot for the top ten in search engine rankings. If you rank anywhere outside the top ten, your chances of getting traffic greatly diminishes. Ranking outside the top thirty basically makes your website nonexistent. The next time you use a search engine, pay attention to the top ten websites that appear based on your search query. These are websites that have mastered SEO and, hopefully, have the best content available. Notice that you rarely need to go beyond the top ten to look for additional information. This is what SEO does for your website. It’s a cutthroat competition for the top ranking, and those who disregard SEO will certainly fail in online business and blogging.

Modern search engines’ ancestor is a program called Archie. In its infancy, the internet contained very limited hosted files and a manual search was still possible. Archie created a database out of all public directory listings and enabled users to look through the list until they found the file they were searching for. This basic formula is far removed from today’s search engines. Popular search engines such as Google, Yahoo!, and MSN employ sophisticated algorithms that allow them to crawl, index, and search websites accurately. The technology has developed to a point where fly-by-night websites that attempt to profit from traffic but provide little value are quickly identified and weeded out, leaving the best sites available. With the millions of websites in existence today, search engines save us the trouble of having to look through all of them in order to find what we want. They are an indispensable tool. Going against the rules of search engines or thinking they are unnecessary to online success will certainly lead to failure.

Unfortunately, there is no way to accurately pinpoint the specific criteria that search engines look for in a website. These algorithms are the closely guarded secrets of their respective companies. The programs used are also dynamic, changing with the times and never remaining locked in a specific position. What was true in the past may no longer apply today. However, despite the fluid nature of search engines, there are basic aspects of a website that must be properly configured in order to have a fighting chance for the top ten. These include, but are not limited to, the site’s popularity, age, inbound and outbound links, content quality, and targeted keywords. A large number of books teach website owners how to properly organize these elements in order to maximize SEO. They are usually written by people who have studied search engine trends, experimented with numerous websites, and have largely figured out what works and what doesn’t in SEO.

There are also those who use their knowledge of SEO in shady ways. Commonly called “black hats” – a reference to early Western movies where outlaws wore dark-colored hats – these individuals have mastered SEO but lack the patience to improve website value and quality. They employ tactics that skyrocket them to the top ten even if their website is relatively new. Common methods used to manipulate search engines include keyword stuffing, hidden text, doorway pages, multiple unrelated links, and redirects. These methods are now the bane of search engines and are part of the reason why the algorithms used are constantly being upgraded.

All those involved in website building and online business exist on a spectrum. On one end are the newcomers who refuse to learn SEO and only focus on creating content, while on the other end are black hats who are keen on attracting traffic but disregard website quality. Neither group is effective. The naïve beginners will eventually lose steam and quit. They are like entertainers who hone their craft but never make it to the limelight. The black hats will occasionally profit in the short run, but once their underhanded tactics are discovered, their website will eventually be banned from the rankings. Those who comfortably find middle ground, working on SEO while still producing quality content, will be the ones to reap the rewards in the end.

Proper SEO management and strategies are your royal flush in the struggle for traffic. Too much, and it could destroy your reputation. Too little, and it won’t be effective. Just right, and it will lead to your victory.

When a hosting company is careless enough to allow its clients to use unethical tactics at search engine optimization, some search engines will ban, block, or blacklist that IP address. One of the most popular reasons that this may happen is the use of certain spam tactics. This may not always be clients fault. Some websites do get attacked by hackers that use that sites email forms for spam However, regardless of whether the hosting client was to blame, or an attacker, the IP is still banned and it may be rough road to recovery.

There are things that can be done to prevent such occurrences. Things like prohibiting some types of email forms, and setting limits on emails that are sent. Things like educating clients on proper techniques, or by providing education for them are good ways to help clients. A good hosting company can stay in touch with its clients through newsletters, and a good support system.

The responsibility lies on the hosting company, and the client. It is up to the hosting company to provide the means and standards, and it is up to the client to abide by them. Finding a good hosting company is a difficult task these days. There are many out there, but knowing which ones will serve you the best is the challenge. Before purchasing from a hosting company, try checking out their support forums. You can learn a lot from their client’s forum posts, as well as see how well the company responds to support requests. If the clients seem to be unhappy, or if there are many complaints, it might be an indication that you should look elsewhere.

Your website is probably intended to be a source of revenue, or just a place for fun and entertainment. In either case, wouldn’t it be nice if people could find it? Don’t hurt your chances of hitting it big in the search engines even before you start. Find a good hosting company, and you will at least have a fighting chance.

What is a Meta Tag?

A meta tag can be found in the “html code” within a web page. Each meta tag is used by the search engines to determine what your web pages are about. The meta tag Information provides the “essential guts” of your website page. Your Web site “Title and Description” Tags are an essential part of this meta tag creation. The “Title, Description and Headline” Tags can be the first thing any web searcher will see when they do a search on the internet.

Since first impressions are everything, the importance on making “the Title, Description and Headline” meta tags readable, relevant, attractive and properly optimized are absolutely essential. The true key is not to over optimize because you are likely to be banned entirely from the search engines if you choose to do so.

What happens when the search engines crawl your web site?

Now that you have set up your meta information, the search engines will crawl your web site and use this essential information as the brochure to your web site. When a search engine crawls your site, it determines the relevance of this meta information compared to the content on your page. The keyword Frequency on your web site should appear as much as possible on a page without being considered as something that sticks out like a sore thumb. If this does occur, you may be penalized as spamming.

What is key word frequency?

Keyword Frequency describes how many times a keyword (or phrase) occurs on a page. The most simple example of keyword frequency is if your key word appeared on a web page 5 times in every 100 words viewed by an engine, then your keyword density would be 5/100 or 5%.

The real trick to ensure a good ranking on the search engines is to produce quality content-rich pages which make the keyword density climb higher. But repeating your main keyword phrases can be tricky because you must still ensure that any content on your site isn’t compromised by your search engine optimization effort, so as to not confuse your reader. If you can keep a reader coming back to visit your web site, you definitely know you have accomplished this task.

In conclusion, keyword frequency should match your meta information with the content on your pages. The search engines have changed dramatically so trying to trick them by spamming with only hurt or jeapardize your web site.

Don’t try to spam the engines by submitting content-low pages full of keywords. You want to attract visitors to your site because of the good content your are providing to your readers. Take the time to optimize your site correctly so that you can get the most out of your web site rankings. When you have good content on your site, you will find those search engine rankings climbing to the top.

Good luck optimizing those web pages, Jennifer Schilling Copyright © 2004 Jennifer Schilling