Topic Category: Google
How a web site is positioned in organic search results depends on several factors, one of the most important of which is search engine optimization (SEO). It's critical to include the search keywords in the content of a web page so that search engines can associate the page with the search term. Optimizing web pages is a skill that all webmasters should learn, and in this topic category you'll find articles that explore the various components of search engine optimization.
September 06, 2007
"Are Paid Links Evil?" from SES San Jose, what you missed...
By Scott Goodyear
I'm back from attending the Search Engine Strategies (SES) conference in San Jose and I'm putting together a few posts about my experience. In the meantime, I'll relate part of my experience from the "Are Paid Links Evil?" session. It was a lively session that was more food for thought than actionable tips...
September 06, 2007
SEO As An Art or Science? Miss Teen USA Gives Us An Example.
By Scott Goodyear
For those new to SEO, there is often confusion about just what SEO is comprised of. You can read about the fundamentals of SEO or learn about the hundreds of search engine ranking factors that an engine can consider and you might still be confused. When new to SEO, there is always the question over whether SEO is an art or if it is a science; should web pages rank based on their merits or should it meet some pre-defined structure in order to rank?
May 17, 2007
Apple.com telling Google "we don't want to rank"?
By Scott Goodyear
As I mentioned a while back, Google states that they are getting more aggressive in how they treat links. High rankings based entirely on links (i.e. the term does not appear on the page) are often called "Googlebombs". For several years Apple.com has enjoyed a first page ranking for the terms MP3 Player, MP3 Players, and often top 10-20 rankings for related terms like MP3 device, digital music player, and others. Today they no longer rank in the top 100 for keywords that they should dominate like MP3 players and simply MP3. In the past, they were supported by benign Googlebombs.
December 20, 2006
International SEO, A Check List for Improving the Rankings of International Web Sites.
By Scott Goodyear
www.webposition.com
Need to improve a site's rankings in an international search engine? Have you already tried traditional optimization of content and link strategies? What else can an SEO do? Surprisingly, there are a few more steps to be considered in order to improve an international web site which can also prove helpful when pursuing improved international search engine rankings.
April 24, 2006
How can I optimize my website, it's dynamic? The Rewrite Engine! What?
By Curtis Friedl
Many people will ask what you are talking about when you refer to a Rewrite Engine. This may be one of those tightly held secrets, which are spoken about only in hushed whispers in the corner of a darkened room.
January 27, 2006
Reinforcing Ideas and Improving Relevance to Gain Better Rankings
By Scott Goodyear
Are you building a new web site or will you soon be re-organizing your current site? If so, this article is for you as it focuses on a few of the fundamental building blocks that many sites often miss when being launched or updated. We want you to start thinking about how search engines navigate through the pages on your site, the depth or extent of content that your pages provide around a given subject, and the manner in which you optimize your pages. By making these considerations and taking action, you can help to reinforce the ideas that your site is attempting to convey, improve relevance among the engines, and in turn gain better rankings.
January 26, 2006
MSN Search's Ranking Algorithm uses a Neural Net
by Richard Drawhorn
In June, 2005, Microsoft revealed that they have introduced a new ranking algorithm that employs a neural net. This article reviews what a neural net is, and how this type of ranking algorithm might affect your web site visibility.
December 29, 2005
The Relevance of ALT Tags to SEO
by Richard Drawhorn
The ALT text associated with the images on web pages has traditionally been considered an important factor for search engine optimization (SEO). This may have been true in the past, but recent research has shown that this is no longer the case.
September 07, 2005
Leveraging the Content of your Blog
by Richard Drawhorn
Many websites are designed as blogs or contain a blog section, where information about a particular topic or theme can be shared. Registered users publish information in real time, making blogs a valuable source of up to date information.
September 15, 2004
How do you know what a search engine is really looking for?
By Brent Winters
Have you ever done a search and wondered how your competitors are appearing at the top of the results and why you are not? If so, you've taken the first crucial step into the intriguing world of Search Engine Optimization. An active curiosity will definitely serve you well in this field, paying huge dividends as you discover what makes each search engine tick.
August 15, 2004
What's the single most important factor in designing high-ranking Web pages?
By Stephen Mahaney
Question: "I read your book and asked a SEO specialist to take a look at my pages. She spoke about text/html ratio as the most important thing. But I didn't find this in your book. Who should I believe?"
February 15, 2004
Seven Steps of Search Engine Optimization
A common misconception of search engine marketing is that all you have to do is submit your Web site and then you're done. Industry veterans know better. Search engine marketing, and more specifically, search engine optimization is an ongoing process. While it certainly offers many rewards, it is not a silver-bullet, single click solution to bringing more traffic to your Web site. Anyone that makes such lofty promises probably also sells a magic elixir that will cure cancer and re-grow hair.
August 15, 2003
SEO: What Does the Future Hold?
The flurry of search engine acquisitions this year has probably left some people wondering how these changes will affect the search engine optimization (SEO) industry. I've learned that many people subconsciously fear change and consequently use it as an excuse not to get involved in SEO or any area that experiences a lot of change. However, those with real-world marketing experience know that change in an industry more often spells opportunity for those that are paying close attention. This is in contrast to those that run from such change preaching a pending "market doom." Wise marketers embrace change rather than fear it.
April 15, 2003
The Top Five Strategies for SEO
By Stephen Mahaney
Ever wonder what strategies that Search Engine Optimization (SEO) experts consider to be the most important? Stephen Mahaney, President of Planet Ocean Communications, a search engine consulting and SEO publishing firm, was asked this very question. He was kind enough to send us his response for publication in MarketPosition:
December 15, 2001
Company Lands $1.5 Million Dollar Deal Due to Search Engine Positioning Effort
In February of this year, search referral traffic comprised about 11% of Bravanta.com's overall traffic. By October, with the help of search engine positioning firm iProspect, it had grown to 40% of the site's overall traffic. Best of all, Bravanta is generating leads that can be traced directly to their search engine positioning campaign - leads that they are closing.
December 15, 2001
Financial Times Of London Recognizes The Importance Of Search Engine Positioning
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is gaining wider acceptance among business people worldwide as evidenced by a recent article in London's Financial Times devoted to search engine positioning.
September 15, 2001
Firm Announces Driving More than Seven Million Visitors from the Search Engines to Edmunds.com!
Shattering the myth that you cannot gain serious traffic from search engine optimization, iProspect, a well-respected search engine positioning firm, announced that they drove 1.3 million visitors to their client's Web site, Edmunds.com, in June. They went on to explain that over the year, an accumulated seven million visitors arrived at the site from search engines. That equates to millions of dollars in targeted advertising gained from iProspect's seach engine positioning campaign.
May 15, 2001
New Study: Search Engine Listings Drive Six Times More Sales than Banners!
A research group specializing in consumer purchasing and behavior, NPD Group, tested the impact of banner ads, search listings, and banner tiles across a variety of sites. The January 2001 study was designed to determine which type of advertising was most effective. In every situation, search listings came out on top.
April 01, 2001
How to Create High Quality Content While Improving Your Rankings
I've long been an advocate for creating high quality, search engine friendly pages. The idea that pages designed to rank well on a search engine must be ugly or deficient in content has no merit. The quality of a page and the uniqueness and value of its content rests completely in the hands of each Webmaster. It doesn't matter if you use a tool to help optimize your site or if you do it all by hand. Ultimately, you must create pages that will impress those visiting your Web site.
March 15, 1998
Report all about Search Engine Positioning
We are pleased to announce that the new revised, "Secrets To Achieving a TOP 10 Position" is online and ready to help catapult your Web site to the top of the list. The revised report features over 100 pages of new and revised information on ranking algorithms of the major search engines. It also includes a step-by-step guide showing specific steps to take, in an easy to follow format, for optimizing your Web pages to gain a TOP ranking on each search engine.
