Search Engine Optimization AARON MATTHEW WALL Search Engine Optimization Book © Aaron Matthew Wall 150 Caldecott Ln #8 • Oakland • Ca 94618 (401) 207-1945 • [email protected] Table of Contents SEO Tools 8 Picking a Product 8 Picking a Domain Name 9 Domain Registration & Hosting 9 Analytics 10 Keyword Selection 10 Page Optimization 10 Home Page Optimization 11 Site Optimization 11 Registering With Directories 12 Link Building 13 When Algorithm Changes Occur 14 Common SEO Abuse Techniques 15 Appearing Natural 15 Social Considerations 16 Closing Tips 16 SEO as a Standalone Product 20 The Social Elements of Relevancy 22 Starting from Broke 23 Questions, Comments & Concerns 24 Interactive Elements 25 Finding Prospects 26 Interactive Elements 27 Some Notes 28 The Goal of Search Engines & How They Work 29 Origins of the Web 37 Commercialized Cat & Mouse 38 Choosing a Domain Name 43 Hosting 52 Interactive Elements 54 Some Notes 55 Learning Your Subject 57 Changing Your Site 62 Copywriting 65 Usability 71 Generating Revenue 77 3 Blogging 87 Interactive Elements 91 Some Notes 95 Analytics 97 Keywords 98 Meta Tags 118 Page Title Tag Done Wrong 123 Page Title Tag Done Right 124 Information Scent 127 Internal Linking 127 Navigation 133 Optimizing Your Page Copy 137 Building Content 142 Unexplored Waters 147 Interactive Elements 147 Some Notes 151 Search Engines versus Directories 153 Submitting Your Site 153 Social Interaction and Links 154 General Directories 157 Niche Directories 162 The Active Web 168 Interactive Elements 168 Some Notes 170 The Major Search Engines 171 Google 171 Yahoo! Search 194 Microsoft 200 Ask 201 Comparing Search Results 206 Interactive Elements 207 Some Notes 210 Text in Incoming Links 211 Exchanging Links 220 Requesting Links 222 Evaluating the Quality of a Link 231 Free Links & Buying Links 232 Waiting for Results 246 Customizing Your Browser for SEO 248 Interactive Elements 249 Some Notes 252 Problems with Manufacturing Relevancy 254 Real versus Artificial 255 4 Things Google Can Track 257 My Tinfoil Hat Theories… 259 Is Your Site Future Ready? 260 Don’t Discount the Present Opportunity 261 Blurring Editorial vs Ads & Editors vs Users266 Market Edges 268 Resources 270 Some Notes 271 When Results Don’t Show 272 SEO Worst Practice Manual 273 Other Problems 278 Speeding Things Up: Paid Inclusion 282 Other Search Engines 284 Interactive Elements 288 Before You Start 290 What is Pay-Per-Click? 292 Yahoo! Search Marketing 295 Ad Writing Tips 301 Earning (and Buying) Trust 307 Google AdWords 309 Bonus Info: How to Improve CTR and Slash Google AdWords Costs to Maximize Profits: 315 Microsoft adCenter 328 Other PPC Providers 329 Resources Cited 329 Some Notes 333 The Goal of this e-book 335 What are Your Goals? 335 SEO Business Models 336 More Information on Buying SEO Services339 Resources 340 Online Auctions 341 Forums 342 Writing Articles 342 Ideal Clients 343 Where to find Clients 343 Questions to Ask Clients 344 Being Your Size 345 Contracting & Outsourcing 346 Cold Calling 346 Niche SEO: Real Estate 346 Sales Cycle 347 Contracts 347 Reports 348 5 Dependency on Free Traffic 348 Affiliate Sites & Passive Income Streams 349 Resources 349 6 Author’s Note Before getting too far into SEO, think about whether the idea you have is Chapter 3, General Internet Topics, one that will be easy to spread. If it is covers many non-search related not, think of how you can transform Internet topics. I include this because your concept into something that is if you do well with many of the “non- easier to disseminate throughout the search” related topics it becomes far Internet. easier to build a linking campaign and achieve top search engine placement. It is usually far easier and far more profitable to create an idea worth For competitive phrases, link spreading than it is to spread an idea popularity and the words in those not worth spreading. links are the single most important part of Search Engine Disclaimer: Since search engines are Optimization (SEO). But to get the constantly changing while still keeping right types of people to want to vote secret their algorithms, there is no way for you your site needs to do many to know the exact algorithms at any things well. given time. However, due to data collected through observations of With most websites, conversion and search engines over the past several profit are more important than the years, it is my hope that this book will sheer amount of traffic you get. teach you how to make informed Making small changes within your site observations and decisions as search can double or triple your conversion engines continue to change. With rate. If you do everything else enough experience, one can discern correctly, you do not need to put as patterns in the search engine puzzle, much effort into SEO. and as a result, figure out how the process works. This guide was created If you already know the topics covered to help you learn to identify those in Chapter 3, feel free to skip over patterns and solve the puzzle. them. More than trying to answer all questions about the web, Chapter 3 is While following this guide should help there to help point you toward improve your rankings, I, the author answers to other Internet business- of this book, shall not be held related questions you may have. responsible for damages because of the use (or misuse) of this information. 7 Quick Summary of Do-It- Yourself SEO Tips Many people who buy this book will never read it in its entirety. To help whet your palate and ensure you get some value out of this text (and, therefore, read the whole thing), here is a quick-start checklist highlighting the most important aspects of search engine optimization and Internet marketing. When looking to start with search engine optimization, consider the following issues: SEO Tools Oftentimes using the right tools can save you both time and money. I have created a free PDF checklist of all the SEO tools I use. You may download it here: http://www.seobook.com/seo-tools.pdf Picking a Product You may read this title and think that you have already accomplished this step, and that your product (or your vision for your product) is already refined, wrapped, and ready for purchase. However, there are many key questions that should be considered before bringing your wares or service to customers: • Are you interested in the product you are trying to sell? If not, why not choose a different product? The Internet makes marketing anything a possibility. You are far more likely to succeed if you are interested in what you are trying to sell. Also, it is far easier to sell people what they want than to get them to want your product. Create something the market wants. • Is the marketplace for your product oversaturated? Examples: Posters, credit cards, prescription drugs, hosting, generic site design, and ink refills are all oversaturated markets. Breaking into these markets can be exceptionally difficult, so think carefully about what would make your product different and needed. • Is the product something people would want to order over the web? • Is there something you can do to make yourself different than everyone else on the market? (Please note: “cheaper” usually is not a legitimate branding/business model for most websites in a hyper-competitive market.) Example: No other e-book covering SEO was supported by a blog that keeps up with the SEO industry every day (at least, not when I first wrote this one). Another example: In 2002, I created a SEO “worst practices” directory. To this day, nobody else has made a site like it. It earned me thousands in the first year with a marketing budget well under $100. 8 In the end, ask yourself -- Would people want to link to your site without you asking them to? If not, what creative or original ideas can you add to your site to make people want to link to it? Picking a Domain Name Finding the right domain name can be a tricky business, and indeed, can mean the difference between success and failure in the online marketplace. As such, it is important to consider the following before choosing a domain name: • FOR NEW SITES: Depending on your branding angle, pick a domain name that is either highly brandable (meaning that it can be easily and positively associated with your product or service) or one that has your primary keywords in it. Use a short and memorable domain name. It is fine if it does not have your keywords in it if it is memorable. For serious, long-term websites, a memorable domain name will be one of the key ingredients to success. • If your domain name exactly matches your keywords Google places a relevancy bonus on your site. (ex: SeoBook.com ranks easily for both seobook and seo book). • If you are going to be working in competitive fields, or if you will have large sites, you may want to use a different domain for each different language you are targeting. Examples of domain names I own: BlackHatSEO.com, SEOBook.com, FattyWeightLoss.com, and Threadwatch.org Domain Registration & Hosting Once you have selected a domain name, you must make sure that it is available, and then register it. After your domain name has been registered, you must find a reliable host for your website. • Register your domain with an ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) accredited registrar. I use GoDaddy. • Register as a .com if possible, if you have a global market.