Four Keys to Successful Search Engine Optimization

Last month, we talked about the value of search engine optimization, or SEO, as a cost-effective component of an online marketing campaign. This month we’ll explore how to get your site listed on the engines and directories that count. The four key tasks of a successful SEO campaign are analysis, optimization, submission, and monitoring.

Analyze Key Phrases

A critical step before starting any SEO campaign is to conduct a thorough keyword analysis. Identifying the key phrases used to find a Web site can be more art than science. Start off by querying employees and customers. Get a wide range of input from all relevant sources to uncover all possible phrases that might be used.

The use of traffic-analysis tools, such as Web Trends, to analyze server logs will reveal the key phrases people use to find a Web site. This will give a preliminary list of key phrases to consider, but more research will still be needed.

Most professional SEO firms will do the research to develop keywords, providing their clients with the best list of key phrases. There are tools to develop additional key phrases yourself. Resources such as Wordtracker, did-it, WordSpot and GoTo will offer key-phrase popularity comparisons, perhaps triggering thought process to generate more possibilities. Don't forget to pick the brains of family and friends to amplify the list.

At this point, you're ready to prioritize your list and do some searches with these phrases. See how many similar documents are found and which competitors are showing up. Be sure to scrutinize the relevancy of each key phrase, and plan to optimize your pages for only your most relevant key phrases.

Optimize Content

Write content for each individual Web page, focusing on a specific key phrase. First, do some HTML coding. You have hidden HTML program language within your content that needs work on all your pages.

� Install proper title head tags.

� Create proper keyword and description meta tags.

� Create proper image ALT tags.

� If using a <noframes> tag, insert keywords, descriptions, meta tags and content within the <noframes> tag.

� If using JavaScript links or image map, add text links if possible.

� Check the search engine compatibility of dynamically generated pages (.cgi, .asp, .cf, .php, etc.).

Ensure the above items are correct on your home page and each of your subpages. Subpages should be optimized for each key phrase, one phrase per page. None of the above HTML coding will affect the look or functionality of a Web site, yet correct coding will make a significant difference in making your site search engine friendly.

After taking care of HTML coding, review the visible content on each page, optimizing the text for a specific key phrase. The first paragraph or two should include the key phrase with intelligent, comprehensive and grammatically correct copy describing your offerings.

This will help robot engines, such as Alta Vista, HotBot and other crawlers to reach deeper into your Web site to rank more pages. Search engine friendly HTML program language and well-written content help these engines accept and recognize pages deep within a Web site for inclusion in their databases.

Submit And Register

Each search engine and directory has specific criteria and requirements when accepting a request to be listed in its database. They're all different; so one size does not fit all. For the best results, it is common professional practice to hand submit all URLs.

Some people like to use submission software programs, and then it's doubly important to comply with each engine's guidelines. When you submit pages, you necessarily reveal your location and IP address to the engine or directory. So if you abuse their submission guidelines, you may find your IP address blocked from future submissions.

Most engines and directories post "Add URL" instructions and links from the home page for manual submissions. Drill in from there and follow instructions. You may want to create bookmarks taking you to specific "Add URL" pages for future use.

Directories such as Yahoo!, LookSmart or Open Directory Project will always require hand submission because you must select a category, and it's important to carefully select your best category.

Depending on the engine, when a Web site has dynamically generated Web pages, it is possible to identify several static pages. Optimize and submit these pages carefully.

Carefully evaluate search engine guidelines prior to submitting, particularly if there are a number of pages to submit. Depending on the engine, some may only accept five pages in a 24-hour period, whereas others may accept more, or fewer. It is very important to comply with each engine's specific guidelines for submission or your pages may not get registered.

Once the pages are submitted, it is necessary to confirm they have been registered. Each engine or directory will post a timeline when to expect your URL to be registered and listed within the database. This is sometimes called "indexing." Some engines may index new pages in two weeks, others in two months, and sometimes engines can take up to six or eight months! An SEO campaign is a long-term project.

After waiting the specified time period for indexing by the engine or directory, you must query the engine for your pages. By doing so, you are confirming that your submission was successful, and that your pages are in the engine or directory database. If, after the indexing period, you find that you are not registered, you must re-submit. But it's tricky: Only re-submit after you have confirmed you are not registered. There are penalties for over-submitting.

Monitor and Audit

Most engines or directories allow for searching a URL by typing in a search URL: mydomainname.com. This will allow you to view and monitor the pages you have submitted and registered. If you have multiple pages, you may want to acquire software to monitor your submissions and registrations. Software such as Topdogg or WebPosition have a reporting feature that will allow you to monitor several pages easily. However, I caution you when using these "submission features." Automatic or automated submissions can become problematic because of mass submission overloading the engine.

Once you have monitored your pages across all the engines and directories, you will essentially be auditing the results. The results will either be: re-submit (URL not found); re-optimize (URL not found in top 30); or no action required (page found in top 30).

When using software for monitoring, auditing and reporting, these tasks should not be performed more than once or twice per month. Automatic or automated software monitoring and reporting can draw undesired attention from the engines, causing poor results. However, the judicious use of monitoring and reporting techniques can result in a more favorable SEO campaign.

In any event, search engine optimization is a recurring process that does not end once you have achieved favorable positioning. With search engines receiving millions of page submissions daily, the result is a very dynamic and ever-changing environment. Good positioning can change from month to month, and that's why you need maintenance and recurring verification and re-submission.

Despite all the ups and downs of positioning, this marketing technique is effective for bottom-line results. We've had clients stop our positioning services, only to come back after two weeks wanting to get seeded in the engines again.

Once you've incorporated these four tasks into your SEO campaign, you will have seeded search engines and directories to deliver qualified visitors deep into your preferred content areas. Targeted visitors will land exactly where you want them—on your product and service pages or in your commerce areas.

The end result is highly qualified traffic with excellent leads for you to convert to sales.
May 2, 2001