| After
Yahoo released their ground-breaking search engine technology
independent of industry leader Google, the landscape of SEO
changed, and continues to change. This is obvious to anyone
who uses both Google and Yahoo for queries on a regular basis.
While major queries provide similar results from the two engines,
the results become vastly different once you move away from
more common search criteria.
Beyond
that, MSN recently released a beta version of their own
search algorithm for user testing. MSN removed the beta
after a short period of testing, but accompanied the removal
with an apology and a promise: they'll be back. The feedback
provided by testers is being taken very seriously and addressed
by MSN in their next iteration of the engine, so it looks
like the company is positioning itself to become a powerhouse
in the SEO game.
For
those whose business and life centers around the leads generated
by high search engine placement, these developments can
be a little bit frightening at first glance. Which search
engine deserves your attention? Which is being used by more
people? What are we supposed to do now that we focused on
Google and Yahoo is taking their market share? How are you
supposed to handle all of the different requirements and
criteria?
Don't
worry, we can help! First of all, the top focus of any online
company should be to stay informed. Get a daily dose of
SEO news and make sure you're well aware of new developments
in the industry. Second, take action. This is prime time
for online businesses! Yahoo and Google may be the primary
competitors, but the winners in this shakedown are those
seeking listings. Because the algorithms on each engine
differ so much, you now have two sets of top 20 listings
- that's 40 spots of premium real estate available to your
sites. MSN's release will add another 20 to the mix.
Remember,
attention means activity. The more news stories this competition
generates, the more users both Yahoo and Google will gain,
which means more people searching for what you have to offer.
It's still a little frightening, but we're here to help
every step of the way, from staying informed to creating
fully optimized sites for your company. Check back on a
regular basis for more updates on the SEO game as we know
it! Until then, keep reading for a step-by-step plan to
optimizing and maintaining your sites for nearly every possible
scenario.
Last
year, without warning, Google recently dropped thousands
of websites from its listings, while countless others saw
a severe drop in their page rank. Industry leaders are calling
it a "blackout." Earlier in 2003, Google made a significant
change to its algorithms, which is not uncommon, but the
most recent changes (in mid-November) are severely impacting
online businesses.
The Internet has long been touted the information highway,
but so far the information has been lacking reliability
and consistency. Search engine giants like Google are constantly
improving their relevancy
methods ... and those changes are affecting rankings in
a big way.
Search engines today are concentrating harder than ever
on the quality of website content. Just like you and me,
site visitors want to see useful, easy-to-read and up-to-date
information.
A recent study showed that 1 in 7 websites have a significant
number of broken links, spelling and grammar errors, and
outdated content. Moreover, Google continues to weed out
the "spammers" that include hidden text and over-stuffed
HTML tags. It's just not the level of quality that surfers
are demanding of websites.
Follow a few simple rules to achieve top rankings:
Keyword Research
Use competitive customer analysis to identify the best keyword
phrases
for your business. Unfortunately, there is a widespread
misconception
that you need highly competitive keyword phrases that get
the most
traffic, but this could not be farther from the truth.
Simply trying to get top search engine placement based upon
"quantity"
(in other words, those keyword phrases being searched on
most) may
totally miss the mark of your ultimate goal -- more sales.
Getting
targeted web site traffic, meaning people who are literally
searching
for a product or service to solve their need, is really
what SEO is all
about.
Powerful, effective web content fulfills two important
business needs:
It attracts targeted web site traffic by incorporating keyword
phrases chosen specifically for each web page.
It
increases conversions with compelling content, marketing
and
selling techniques, and factual, useful information.
To achieve and maintain top placements, webmasters must
create important facts and knowledgeable information that
major engines like Google require. Content is more important
than ever -- Google's team is trying to give surfers the
most relevant and useful web pages. |