Search Engine Optimization Tips

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Hit
Hit is a somewhat misleading measure of traffic to a web site. One hit is recorded for each file request in a web server’s access log. If a user visits a page with four images, one hit will be recorded for each graphic image file plus another for the page’s HTML file. A better measure of traffic volume is the number of pages/HTML files accessed.

HTML
The acronym HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language, the authoring language used to create pages on the World Wide Web. HTML is a set of codes or HTML tags that provide a web browser with directions on how to structure a web page’s information and features.

Hyperlink
Also known as link or HTML link, a hyperlink is an image or portion of text that when clicked on by a user opens another web page or jumps the browser to a different portion of the current page. Inbound Links with keyword-relevant Link Text are an important part of Search Engine Optimization Strategy.

Index
An index is a Search Engine’s database. It contains all of the information that a Crawler has identified, particularly copies of World Wide Web pages. When a user performs a Query, the search engine uses its indexed pages and Algorithm set to provide a ranked list of the most relevant pages. In the case of a Directory, the index consists of titles and summaries of registered sites that have been categorized by the directory’s editors.

Inbound Links
Also known as back link, backward link, or backlinks, inbound links are all of the links on other websites that direct the users who click on them to your site. Inbound links can significantly improve your site’s search rankings, particularly if they contain Anchor Text keywords relevant to your site and are located on sites with high Page Rank.

Monday, August 4, 2008

Google AdSense
Google AdSense is an ad-serving program operated by Google that provides relevant text, image, and video-based advertisements to enrolled site owners. Advertisers register via Google AdWords and pay for ads on a Pay-Per-Click, Cost-Per-Thousand or Cost-Per-Action basis. This revenue is shared with Google AdSense host sites, typically on a PPC basis (which sometimes leads to Click Fraud). Google uses its search Algorithms and Contextual Link Inventory to display the most appropriate ads based on site content, Query relevancy, ad “quality scores,” and other factors.

Google AdWords
Google AdWords is the Keyword Submission program that determines the advertising rates and keywords used in the Google AdSense program. Advertisers bid on the keywords that are relevant to their businesses. Ranked ads then appear as sponsored links on Google Search Engine Results Pages (SERPS) and Google AdSense host sites.

Graphical Search Inventory (GSI)
Graphical Search Inventory is the visual equivalent of Contextual Link Inventory. GSI is non-text-based advertising such as Banner Ads, pop-up ads, browser toolbars, animation, sound, video and other media that is synchronized to relevant Keyword queries.

Gray Hat SEO
Gray hat SEO refers to Search Engine Optimization strategies that fall in between Black Hat SEO and White Hat SEO. Gray hat SEO techniques can be legitimate in some cases and illegitimate in others. Such techniques include Doorway Pages, Gateway Pages, Cloaking and duplicate content.

Hidden Text
Hidden text is a generally obsolete form of Black Hat SEO in which pages are filled with a large amount of text that is the same color as the background, rendering keywords invisible to the human eye but detectable to a search engine Crawler. Multiple Title Tags or HTML comments are alternative hidden text techniques. Hidden text is easily detectable by search engines and will result in Blacklisting or reduced Rank.

Daily SEO Tips

* What does Yahoo! say it wants in a Web page?
1.Original and unique content of genuine value
2.Pages designed primarily for humans, with search engine
considerations secondary
3.Hyperlinks intended to help people find interesting,
related content, when applicable
4.Metadata (including title and description) that accurately
describes the contents of a web page
5.Good web design in general

*Create content that serves your customer's needs FIRST and your own needs second.

* One way to build content freshness is to add a blog to your site.Post to it regularly with valuable content and links.

*Are you working on some new Web content for the search engines this week?

Here are 3 elements to keep in mind:

1. Create content that is original and genuinely useful to your visitors.
2. Create high quality content that engages the visitor serves a purpose.
3. Create truly relevant content that satisfies the user's initial query.

*so watch keyword prominence in your title tag which should be around 8-10
words long, or shorter (Maximum of 75 characters, including spaces).

*How are you doing with "content freshness" and adding new article pages to yourWeb site on a regular basis? Remember that you may get much more relevancy for"content freshness" than you might expect. Make a commitment to performing regularupdates and additions to your Web site and keep an eye on search engine visitingfrequency.

*This tool shows your Google search engine results pages across56 (or more) datacenters all at once.

http://www.mcdar.net/dance/index.php

* Did you know that all links are not created quite equally with
respect to relevancy influence?

For example, a link in navigation is not worth as much as a link
in the middle of the body of your page. And a link at the bottom of
the page wouldn't count as much, or a link as a caption wouldn't
count as much.

* Be sure to use care with text color inside of a table too.
Example: If your background is a white page and you are using a table filled with
dark Navy Blue (for example.) Be careful not to use a white colored font text.
Although the text is not hidden, you could still accidentally set off some flags
by using a white text with a white background (regardless of the fact that the
table is blue.)

* Are you aware of the penalties for using hidden text? This out dated technique
is Spam. Never try to add keywords or text to a page, in the same color font as
the exact background color, thus making text appear hidden.

Spam Alert: Don't EVER use hidden text, hidden links or hidden "anything" on a page
unless you want to risk setting off some warning flags and risk getting in trouble.

* Do you understand that there is a difference between creating "unique content" and
creating "high quality useful content." Just because your content is "unique" does
not mean that it may be particularly "useful." Make it your goal to serve up
useful content that actual engages the reader and satisfies their "original search."

* Did you know that Google Page Rank is only one small influenceto relevancy?
Hint: Don't get obsessed with trying to achieve a high page rank value.Instead focus on building true visibility. Google PR and actualvisibility in the rankings are not the same thing.

* Create a content rich, informational site which is loaded with
quality articles, tips, free advice, and tutorials, and keep your
options to buy a product very subtle. The number one reason most
people go online is to look up information, so the key is to
discover high-demand topics for a niche audience and give your
audience exactly what they are searching for first. Satisfy
their search first and then offer them the option to buy.