The Search Engine Insider

Editor's Note - 1/15/2004

Hello {!name},

We're relaunching our Newsletter!

Each issue will provide Tips and Techniques on website optimization and Tips on getting the most out of our website promotion software tools. If you have any questions about your subscription, please see the sidebar note to the right.

This first Newsletter explains an overall approach to Optimization as detailed in the Search Engine Optimization Training Manual available from SEM Consultation.

Terry G. Plank
Editor
editor@websitemanagementtools.com

Optimization Tips

Search Engine Optimization Training Manual
by Terry Plank

This month we feature an introduction to a Search Engine Optimization Training Manual. A link at the end of the article will take you to the entire 8 lesson Manual. Search Engine Marketing Consultation uses this manual for coaching, and training clients.

Search engines use computers running software, called spiders, to search the Web looking for pages to index into their databases. In order to insure your pages are indexed, you need words that drive traffic. In short, you need a long term strategy for promoting your website.

Every search engine uses a set of rules—an algorithm—to evaluate and rank each page on your website. Knowing these rules will help you gain better position in the search engines.

To improve overall search engine ranking, and thus drive more traffic to your website, there are only a handful of techniques you need to master. It may take some time, but the basics are clear, easy to understand, and implement. Using these techniques will help insure that your web pages present the best content possible.

We'll go over the basics here and flesh out the specific strategies in the chapters of the manual available on my website.

1. Develop Traffic Driving Keyword Phrases
   
   A search engines' success depends on providing good results to the user for their searches. Your success depends on finding the keyword phrases that searchers will actually use and providing them with pages that contain those keyword phrases. This must be obvious enough for a search engine to recognize and rank your pages high. Lower rankings equate to lower page visits on your site.
2. Target Keyword Phrases to Specific Pages
   
   Decide which pages on your site are best to have specific keyword phrase focus, then make sure that the text on those pages are rich in the use of your chosen keyword phrases. Remember, you don't have optimize all the pages on your site, only the ones with keyword phrases that will drive traffic.
3. Magnify your Keyword Phrases in the HTML
   
   Establish a theme for each of your targeted pages. This means focusing on the keyword phrases you've chosen for each page and amplifying those keyword phrases in the HTML. For example, using them in the ALT and TITLE tags.
   
4. Establish Linking Relationships
   
   All search engines now consider how recognized you are by other quality sites, especially Google. It's vital you have good incoming links in your theme area from other sites.
   
   One way Google checks you out is by establishing who values you enough to link to you. If other sites with good PageRank and popularity link to you, then it's likely you are a good site for searchers to find.
5. Notify Search Engines and Directories of your website
   
   After doing all the good work of optimizing your pages, don't expect the world to come knocking at your door. You have to go out and tell the world you there and ready to be of service.
6. Check your Rankings Monthly
   
   To ensure that your hard work is paying off, check the search engines monthly to see how they have ranked you for your keyword phrases. Improve any pages that are not ranking well.

Sometimes you can hit it right the first time, but often you have to keep shifting things around to improve your ranking. There also is the issue of the search engines making changes over time. So you may need to go back and adjust things to meet their evolving criteria for determining ranking.

Later, you can go to http://www.semconsultation.com/training and access the whole manual. Chapter 1 covers preparing to improve ranking and website traffic.