Common-sense Search Engine Optimization
By Jill Whalen
For years, when people thought about search engine optimization,
in all likelihood, gateway pages, doorway pages or informational
pages probably came to mind. If you're a search engine
optimization specialist, you've probably had clients requesting
that you create these types of pages for them.
They may believe the following statements to be true:
o Every search engine has a different algorithm (formula) to
determine the ranking of a Web page, and therefore none of
their "regular" pages will rank highly in all of the engines.
o Keyword-rich copy that the search engines will like is not
text they can visibly put on their site where people can see
it, especially not on their front page!
o Business sites need to be on the cutting edge and use Flash
animation and/or lots of graphics, and they shouldn't have to
change this just to please the search engines.
Although there is a grain of truth to each of the above, let's
examine each point in more detail so you'll have some ammunition
the next time you get this type of request.
Dealing with Differing Algorithms
Yes, it's true, search engine algorithms are varied and do
change. There will always be SEOs who spend many hours poring
over search engine results and statistics, trying to figure out
each search engine's current formula for high rankings. There
have been many software programs written over the years to help
crack the algorithms and automatically generate high-ranking
pages for each engine.
One of the problems with using this method is that as soon as a
new algorithm is in place, these carefully crafted gateway pages
will often drop out of sight in the rankings. The new algorithm
must be cracked again, and new gateway pages must be created.
It's truly a never-ending, time-consuming and expensive process
that is very much against the best-practice guidelines put forth
by the search engines.
The truth is that even though search engines do have slightly
different algorithms (and they do change them at times),
basically all engines appreciate the same things that real
people look for in a Web site:
o A simple, cleanly coded design
o Well-thought-out, intuitive navigation
o Well-written, descriptive copy
o Titles and Meta tags that help identify relevant keyword
phrases
o Links that accurately describe what can be found at the site.
It's really just common sense. Web sites with the above features
don't need to crack algorithms. These sites have the potential
to achieve high rankings for many keyword phrases in all major
search engines for many years, regardless of ever-changing
algorithms. And more importantly, they will likely be a hit with
their site visitors.
Writing Keyword-rich Copy
Clients (and even some SEOs) often justify the use of doorways
and gateways by claiming that there's a difference between good
copy for search engines and good copy for their site visitors.
That is simply not true. Good marketing copy can be written that
sounds great, stresses the benefits to the user and also utilizes
keyword phrases. There's definitely an art to it, and you have
to be a good copywriter to begin with, but it most definitely
can be done. The key is to use a professional copywriter, not an
SEO, for that aspect of the job.
Use of Flash Animation and Graphics at the Expense of Content
Over and over again we hear from companies that want high
rankings and lots of traffic and sales, yet refuse to forfeit
their LUGs (large useless graphics) and Flash animation in favor
of good content. Unfortunately, these pages don't give the search
engines much to go by when trying to determine what the site is
all about. This forces the engines to figure things out solely
based on the Title tags and the links. That may be enough in
some cases, but the best indicator of what a site is about is
through the content on its pages. Now, it's true that some
search engines have started reading the content of Flash files,
but there's generally not much "meat" contained in the ones I've
seen!
Never forget that the ultimate goal of most business Web
sites is to sell a product or a service. When you see a Flash
presentation on a site, does that make you want to purchase
their products or use their services? Sure, it might appear cool
the first time you view it, but thereafter it only serves as an
annoying distraction and/or waste of time. And if you're on a
dial-up modem (yes there are still some left!), you probably
don't want to wait around to view it. Besides, you can have your
cake and eat it too by simply using small amounts of Flash in
appropriate places, along with your great content.
When all is said and done, most people would rather be presented
with information on the types of products or services offered in
clear, concise language, right on the main page of the site
they're visiting. Luckily for us, that's exactly what the search
engines want to see as well!
Optimize Your Actual Site
You don't need a second (or third or fourth) site for SEO
purposes. Those companies that are willing to create useful
content within the pages of their Web site can very often own
long-term high rankings. Plus, they won't have to rely on link
popularity as much as the low/no-content sites have to.
In years past, convincing companies of this fact was one of the
most difficult jobs we had to do. Thankfully, as the Web matures,
more and more site owners are discovering that their fancy,
cutting-edge sites don't convert as well as the competitor's
informational site that gets right down to business. It's
usually at that point that they become more receptive to doing
what it takes to make their site the best it can be for their
visitors as well as the search engines.
================================================================
Jill Whalen of High Rankings is an internationally recognized
"search engine optimization" (http://www.highrankings.com/)
consultant and host of the free weekly High Rankings Advisor
"search engine marketing newsletter"
(http://www.highrankings.com/advisor.htm).
She specializes in search engine optimization, SEO consultations
and seminars. Jill's handbook, "The Nitty-gritty of Writing for
the Search Engines" (http://www.highrankings.com/seo-writing.htm)
teaches business owners how and where to place relevant keyword
phrases on their Web sites so that they make sense to users
and gain high rankings in the major search engines.
================================================================
This article was originally published in SiteProNews, one of the
Net's most widely read webmaster newsletters. An online version
of this article and other articles can be found at:
http://www.sitepronews.com/archives.html
================================================================
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