Optimizing Your Website for Search Engines and Directories
January 9, 2011 by thub
Filed under Engineering
Optimizing Your Website for Search Engines and Directories
Free Online Articles Directory
Why Submit Articles?
Top Authors
Top Articles
FAQ
AB Answers
0 && $.browser.msie ) {
var ie_version = parseInt($.browser.version);
if(ie_version Hello Guest
Login
Register
Hello
My Home
Sign Out
Email
Password
Remember me?
Lost Password?
Home Page > Internet > ECommerce > Optimizing Your Website for Search Engines and Directories
Optimizing Your Website for Search Engines and Directories
Posted: Jul 06, 2010 |Comments: 0
|
]]>
<!– @page { margin: 2cm } P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm } H1 { margin-bottom: 0.21cm } H1.western { font-family: “Times New Roman”, serif } H1.cjk { font-family: “DejaVu Sans” } H1.ctl { font-family: “DejaVu Sans” } –>
Optimizing Your Website for Search Engines and Directories
When consumers use the Internet to learn more about something they’re interested in, they typically start at a search engine like Google or a directory like Yahoo! Your goal is for the consumer to see a link to your Web site before they see one for your competitor. There are two broad methods for achieving visibility. The first is to purchase ad space from the search engine or directory service, which is explained in our article “How to Run Paid Ads on Search Engines and Directories.” The second method involves optimizing your Web site so that it appears near the top of search engines and directory listings, which we discuss in the remainder of this article.
Search engines and directories are two very different animals. A search engine uses an automated piece of software called a robot or spider to find Web sites and index their information; the search engine then uses a proprietary algorithm to rank those Web sites. Optimizing your Web site for search engines is a complex, imprecise procedure. First of all, each search engine uses its own algorithm for ranking Web sites. Secondly, search engine companies don’t reveal how these algorithms work because they don’t want anyone gaming the system (most search engine companies change their algorithms on a regular basis as further insurance against cheating). Popular search engines include Google and MSN.
A directory, on the other hand, is built by human-beings who visit Web sites, assess their content, and decide how each site should fit into the directory’s structure. Popular directories include Yahoo! and The Open Directory Project (ODP) at dmoz.org.
A third category, hybrid sites, combine results from search engines and directories. Some of these sites also mix in paid ads that appear as search results. Popular hybrid sites include Yahoo! and AOL.
The Optimization Process
Even if you already have your Web site up-and-running, wait until you have optimized it before registering with directories and search engines. Because the criteria that determines a high-ranking Web site is different for each search engine and directory, and because the criteria changes frequently, Web site optimization is not a precise science. However, over the years the principles described in our 10-step plan have proven to help businesses improve their rankings.
Step 1: Assess the Competition
Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but when it comes to optimizing your Web site, a certain amount of imitation can also make good business sense. Visit all the key search engines and directories and use them as your customers would. Enter search words; navigate directories; make a note of the businesses that are well-placed in your categories, and then visit their Web sites. Look at the words they use to describe their business; examine their HTML code and create a list of the keywords and META tags they use.
Step 2: Create Your Keyword List
A keyword list contains the most important words that describe your business. Building a good keyword list is vital for good search engine placement but will have little effect on your placement in directories. When building your list, think of the words that customers use when looking for your business, products, or services. Consider including any applicable keywords that your successful competitors are using.
Step 3: Create META Tags
HTML includes a set of META tags that are used to describe the contents of each page on your Web site. META tags are one of the things that search engines look at when categorizing and ranking your Web site, so proper use of META tags is important to optimizing your ranking. The three most important META tags are TITLE, DESCRIPTION, and KEYWORD.
The TITLE tag identifies the contents of the Web page; the TITLE should be accurate and unique for each page of your site and should incorporate one or two of your most relevant keywords.
The DESCRIPTION tag contains a lengthier description of the contents of your Web page; some search engines display the contents of this tag with a customer’s search results (other search engines use an HTML remarks line, if it is present). Each page’s DESCRIPTION should be unique and include relevant keywords.
The KEYWORD tag is a list of your keywords and phrases, each separated by a comma. Do not use the same word more than twice–some search engines consider this spamming and will lower your sites ranking accordingly.
For more information on the use of META tags, visit www.keywordperformance.com/seo.cfm.
Step 4: Build Great Content
No matter what other techniques you use to improve your Web site’s ranking, they will be ineffective in the long run if you don’t have great content. The content of your Web site should be unique, high-quality, and relevant to your products and services. This is especially true for obtaining a good ranking in directories, because human-beings–not algorithms–are assessing your Web site.
Be sure to use your keywords in the headings and text of your site’s homepage. This is especially important for a good ranking in search engines.
Your content should also be fresh and frequently updated. This is important in determining your initial ranking in directories, and it is vital to your continued ranking in search engines because they spider the same sites repeatedly, and updated content helps you establish credibility.
Ensure that each page of your Web site is unique. If you reuse the same text from page to page, search engines may interpret this as an attempt to artificially improve your ranking, which will result in lowering your ranking.
Step 5: Link to Other Quality Sites
You have spent a lot of time and effort to bring customers to your site, and in general, you want to keep them there as long as possible. However, no one business can be all things to all people, so you can provide a real service to your customers by giving them links to quality Web sites that contain relevant content they are interested in. By providing these links, you can also increase your ranking in both directories and search engines.
When you link to another Web site, make sure that site loads in a separate browser window; this makes it easier for your customers to return to your site.
Step 6: Encourage Other Sites to Link to You
Encouraging other Web sites to link to your site accomplishes several things. Most importantly, it can be a major source of new customers. Also, search engines will give you a better ranking if other sites provide links to you. Some search engines also take into account how popular the sites are that link to you; for instance, a link from CNN.com would be more valuable than a link from someone’s personal Web page.
Many Web sites will be more willing to link to you if you offer a reciprocal link to them.
Step 7: Register Your Site with Directories
At this point you have a complete Web site and are ready to advertise it to the world. Your next step is to submit your site to all the directories, such as Yahoo! and ODP. Registering your site begins the review and ranking process, which may take a matter of days, weeks, or months, depending on the directory. Once you register your site with a directory, visit that directory often to ensure your site is categorized correctly.
When determining your ranking, many search engines will check to see if your site is listed in directories. The more directories your site is listed in, the higher your ranking, so be sure to complete this step before proceeding to the next.
Step 8: Register Your Site with Search Engines
Now it’s time to register your site with the search engines. As with directories, simply registering your site does not mean it will be ranked and available in the search engine. Check with the engine often to ensure your site is listed properly. Search engines constantly revisit the same Web sites to make sure they are still active and to update their ranking, but when you make major changes or upgrades to your site, you should re-register it with the search engines. This will help ensure that you are quickly rewarded for your work.
Step 9: Review Your Web Server Log
Your Web server keeps a log of information that is invaluable for refining your Web site content and shaping your marketing and advertising efforts. For instance, your log file contains information about what search engines or directories your customers are coming from and what search words they used to find you. By keeping successful keywords and replacing unsuccessful ones, you will build your customer base and search engine ranking.
Web server logs can contain hundreds-of-thousands of lines of information, to make the best use of them, you will need specialized software. Some Web hosting companies, make this software available (Verio provides an excellent software package, called Urchin, to its customers for free).
Step 10: Repeat This List Frequently
Building a successful site is a recursive process. As in all aspects of business, you should periodically assess your competition and adjust your efforts accordingly. Adjust your META tags. Rework your keywords. It is especially important to frequently update the content on your site, not only because it improves your ranking in search engines, but because your Internet customers expect it.
Be sure to visit my other websites, www.dealoftheweek.ca, www.affiliate-tips.ws, http://websitesforbusiness.blogspot.com and http://second-income-business.blogspot.com
Also leave your comments and opinions. I do read them and enjoy the feedback. Thank you!
Retrieved from “http://www.articlesbase.com/ecommerce-articles/optimizing-your-website-for-search-engines-and-directories-2784472.html”
(ArticlesBase SC #2784472)
Liked this article? Click here to publish it on your website or blog, it’s free and easy!
Claude Belanger -
About the Author:
Online retailer with a wealth of experience in building a successful online business. Affiliate Marketer representing only the best of products and services.Wealth of experience an knowledge to share on making money online successfully, understanding how to advertise effectively using search engines, social media etc to draw traffic and sales to your site. Visit http://www.dealoftheweek.ca and http://www.affilate-tips.ws
]]>
Questions and Answers
Ask our experts your ECommerce related questions here…200 Characters left
What is the quickest white hat method of getting a website to number one on search engine rankings for a relevant keyword?
Why might an advertisr use a placement broker rather than working directly with a search engine web site?
What are spam related results when using the search engine to determine if a dropped domain as any worth?
Rate this Article
vote(s)
0 vote(s)
Feedback
RSS
Print
Email
Re-Publish
Article Tags:
search engines, optimizing, websites, e commerce, optimizing your website, directory listings
Latest ECommerce Articles
More from Claude Belanger
Rapid Search Engine Optimization Tips
Learn about the four keys of rapid Search Engine Optimization. (01:17)
How to Use Links for Search Engine Optimization
Learn how to use links for search engine optimization.
Please Visit;
http://www.icrossing.com
http://www.searchengineoptimization.com.sg
http://www.elliance.com
for more info on Search Engine Optimization Tools (01:09)
How to Optimize Site Meta Tags on Wix.com
Learn how to optimize your site Meta Tags to improve your site’s visibility in search engines. (00:48)
How to Optimize a Website – 5 Easy SEO Tips
Liana Evans of Search Marketing Gurus give 5 easy optimization tips that webmasters, web site owners and marketers can inplement on their sites for better search engine optimization. Title tags, images, header tags and more are discussed.
For a f (03:16)
Correct SEO Techniques – 3 Things You Must Know
Learn correct SEO techniques.
Please Visit;
www.icrossing.com
www.searchengineoptimization.com.sg
www.elliance.com
for more info on Search Engine Optimization Tools (01:10)
Search Engine Marketing(Sem) In India
Search Engine Marketing is the practice of marketing or advertising your web site through search engines, like Google, Yahoo or MSN. SEM will efficiently increase your website’s visibility on the Internet. Our search engine marketing firm believes that everybody’s business is our business. At Comet, we use innovative “White Hat” search engine marketing techniques to drive an immense amount of traffic to your site.
By:
Rajeshl
Search Engine Marketing is the practice of marketing or advertising your web site through search engines, like Google, Yahoo or MSN. SEM will efficiently increase your website’s visibility on the Internet. Our search engine marketing firm believes that everybody’s business is our business. At Comet, we use innovative “White Hat” search engine marketing techniques to drive an immense amount of traffic to your site.
By:
Rajeshl
Search Engine Optimization – An Overview
The term “Search Engine Optimization,” or SEO, has become a pronounced buzz term in Internet commerce. SEO is simply the process of improving the amount of volume, also known as traffic, to a website by placing it as high as possible in search results through a search engine such as Google, MSN, or Yahoo!.
By:
Robert Abroml
The Eight Things You Must Do To Optimize Your Site For Search Engines – Missed By Over 98.4%
The 3 most important search engines to optimize for are Google, Yahoo, and MSN. In this article, a well-known SEO expert reveals 8 steps for beginners and key points to get started that is missed by over 98.4%.
By:
Jon Rognerudl
Internet>
SEOl
Oct 19, 2006
lViews: 296
The Reason for Search Engine Optimization
SEO, better known as Search Engine Optimization is a process of increasing the traffic volume of a website using an algorithmic or organic approach.
By:
Osman Ahmadl
Business>
Home Businessl
May 09, 2008
Search engine optimization (SEO)
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the act of making ones website content more search engine friendly to make it rank higher. Netzland specializes in the optimization of websites in competitive markets. We will research your keywords and optimize your si
By:
Maheshl
Internet>
SEOl
Dec 29, 2005
lViews: 269
Search Engine Optimization – The Key To Achieve Online Success
Nuke Web Solution provides online services like web site designing, web site development, website optimization, seo, search engine optimization and more.
By:
sameer morel
Successful website design implies that a web design is not only beautiful but appealing enough to bring in more sales of the products or services of the company.
By:
Bryan Belll
Internet>
ECommercel
Jan 08, 2011
BeThere Deals Review – Discount Merchant Services and Advertising Program Online
BeThere Deals is a real time discount services program and advertising online for both merchants and the members looking to save money while on the go. Here is a simple overview of the advertising program and how it works for the merchants and the members
By:
David J. Boozerl
Internet>
ECommercel
Jan 07, 2011
How AbleCommerce Customizations Save You Time and Money – Ecommerce Solutions
The ecommerce answer that offers you a number of options but little flexibility is quickly changing into obsolete as business owners realize the efficiencies of customizing off-the-shelf packages like AbleCommerce to try and do everything they need. Most off-the-shelf products do not enable you to change the code, add in modules or give any flexibility like AbleCommerce does.
By:
Daniel Butlerl
Internet>
ECommercel
Jan 07, 2011
Ecommerce Merchant Account For Your Online Business
If you are designing to have an internet recognition or presence or you are planning to begin a business or place up your product online for sale or you’re thinking of venturing into ecommerce website business then you must have an e-commerce merchant account to enable your customers to form their payment online. This is very necessary as most of your customers are not likely to come back from your backyard and they can’t offer you your money by hand.
By:
Daniel Butlerl
Internet>
ECommercel
Jan 07, 2011
Ecommerce Themes & Ecommerce Templates
Ecommerce has become a very real source of revenue for thousands of people out there. Though there are the massive vendors like Amazon and eBay, there are a lot of smaller sites that are operated by a smaller crew of people and often concentrate on solely a particular category of products.
By:
Daniel Butlerl
Internet>
ECommercel
Jan 07, 2011
What’s eCommerce? eCommerce is merely outlined as something you sell or obtain, or any business transaction you make over the internet. When you get one thing online, that is eCommerce. The best example for eCommerce is eBay and Amazon. These websites are the largest online business websites.
By:
Daniel Butlerl
Internet>
ECommercel
Jan 07, 2011
Some Essential Qualities of an Online School Supply Store
A store house of school accessories for teaching or learning purposes is generally termed as School supply store. The market value of these products depends on the upcoming trend which is quiet popular among the young consumers and the trend varies from seasonally. Budget is a very important factor if you want to start a school supply store because you will have to meet expenses on supplies, rent, interior design, staff, security, etc.
By:
wesociall
Internet>
ECommercel
Jan 07, 2011
How an Online School Supply Store Works?
A School Supply Store is a store house of school resources which is helpful for the teachers and students. Resources consists of wide range of educational accessories like pen, books, bags, pocket dictionaries, decoration materials for classroom, tiffin boxes, water bottles, etc.
By:
wesociall
Internet>
ECommercel
Jan 07, 2011
It’s very easy to be swayed by circumstances and situations; the secret to success is how you interpret and learn from them. By gaining a belief that “Yes I CAN do it”, you will find that the negatives will be replaced with the positives and a new strength will evolve within you that will help you overcome the peaks and troughs of your journey to success!
By:
Claude Belangerl
Self Improvementl
Sep 17, 2010
Chose Your Keywords and Keyphrases Carefully
The key to any web based business succeeding is getting the word out that you have the product or service that your potential customer wants. When a search is done using a search engine the keywords or phrases typed in will decide which websites will come up in the list. Although you may be selling in the niche customers are interested in, if you don’t have the keywords or phrases they used included on your site, you will most likely not show up on the first pages that the search engines return.
By:
Claude Belangerl
Internet>
Internet Marketingl
Sep 07, 2010
Man Discovers New and Easier Way to Creating Income!
Discussion about a new website building program I discovered that is easy to use and saves time and money. The program is a full suite of individual segments created to make each step of website building less stressful.
By:
Claude Belangerl
Business>
Home Businessl
Sep 03, 2010
Finding The Right Information Is Critical
Building an Internet business requires planning, performing a lot of research in a variety of topics. This article is written to give the person looking to start an on-line business some guidance into where to perform their research and what should be researched before embarking on their journey into entrepreneurship. Hopefully the information will save valuable time weeding out the good from the not so good.
By:
Claude Belangerl
Business>
Home Businessl
Aug 18, 2010
Have you ever wondered just how safe it is to shop on-line using your credit card? This article will give you the information I hope will displace your fears of making purchases via the Internet.
By:
Claude Belangerl
Internet>
ECommercel
Aug 13, 2010
eBay Sellers: How to Market Your Auctions
Learn one of the ways to make your eBay auction more successful. With a little ingenuity you can market your item to people you touch through social media, forums and more.
By:
Claude Belangerl
Marketing>
Marketing Tipsl
Jul 22, 2010
The Risks and Rewards of Sourcing Products from China to Sell on eBay
I’m sure that you have noticed the small labels on a lot of products that say ‘Made in China’. It seems that more and more of our merchandise is produced overseas where it can be created for an incredibly cheap price. As an eBay seller, you might be interested in sourcing products from China to sell on eBay, lowering your costs and potentially increasing your profits.
By:
Claude Belangerl
Business>
Negotiationl
Jul 17, 2010
Flash Animation Presentations And Its Importance For Websites
Flash animation can spice up the look of a boring and simple looking website with the help of vector based graphics. This graphics is used for creation of designs that are lively. Whenever a visitor visits your website, it is the first few initial minutes in which you have to grab their attention and keep them grounded at your site, as their attention is quite flickering and short spanned.
By:
Claude Belangerl
Internet>
Web Designl
Jul 08, 2010
Add new Comment
Your Name: *
Your Email:
Comment Body: *
Verification code:*
* Required fields
Submit
Your Articles Here
It’s Free and easy
Sign Up Today
Author Navigation
My Home
Publish Article
View/Edit Articles
View/Edit Q&A
Edit your Account
Manage Authors
Statistics Page
Personal RSS Builder
My Home
Edit your Account
Update Profile
View/Edit Q&A
Publish Article
Author Box
Claude Belanger has 18 articles online
Articles Categories
All Categories
Advertising
Arts & Entertainment
Automotive
Beauty
Business
Careers
Computers
Education
Finance
Food and Beverage
Health
Hobbies
Home and Family
Home Improvement
Internet
Law
Marketing
News and Society
Relationships
Self Improvement
Shopping
Spirituality
Sports and Fitness
Technology
Travel
Writing
Affiliate Programs
Audio
Blogging
Domain Names
ECommerce
Email
Forums
Internet Marketing
Link Popularity
Newsletters
RSS
SEM
SEO
SMO
Spam
Video
Web Design
Web Hosting
]]>
Need Help?
Contact Us
FAQ
Submit Articles
Editorial Guidelines
Blog
Site Links
Recent Articles
Top Authors
Top Articles
Find Articles
Site Map
Webmasters
RSS Builder
RSS
Link to Us
Business Info
Advertising
Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy | User published content is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Copyright © 2005-2011 Free Articles by ArticlesBase.com, All rights reserved.
Online retailer with a wealth of experience in building a successful online business. Affiliate Marketer representing only the best of products and services.Wealth of experience an knowledge to share on making money online successfully, understanding how to advertise effectively using search engines, social media etc to draw traffic and sales to your site. Visit http://www.dealoftheweek.ca