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Writing Your Website. Hints From Professional Website Copywriters
Susan Greene explains sound, ethical SEO practices for attracting search engine traffic to your Web site.

Introduction

If you're looking to attract new customers for your business, one of the most economical means of advertising is the Internet. Sure you can buy paid listings on most search engines. However, most professional website copywriters agree--The most cost-effective way is to "organically" obtain a high ranking for your keywords on search engines, that is, without paying for advertising.

High Ranking is Essential Your goal should be to gain placement on page 1 or page 2 because, let's face it, most searchers (myself included) can't be bothered going through the thousands of websites the search engines bring up for almost any search request. Searchers will typically go through the first or second page seeking the most relevant listing. If they don't find what they're looking for, they're more likely to change their search request and use different keywords than to keep plowing through pages of search results hoping to luck into the right one.

So how do you get on page 1 or page 2 without buying a sponsored (paid) listing? As an Orlando, Florida website copywriter, I get asked this question a lot.
Category: Articles (Search Engine Optimization and Marketing)

Doorway Pages, Duplicate Sites, and Mirrors?
Jill Whalen explains how the search engine marketing (SEM) tricks of doorway pages, mirrors, and duplicate Websites affect rankings.

Introduction

Hello Jill,
As a new subscriber to your newsletter, I'd first of all like to say thanks for a very good newsletter! Your newsletter has quickly become one of the "I can't wait for the next issue" ones, and they aren't that many!

I'm writing you regarding your latest issue and the topic of doorway pages.

I planned on getting more exposure from search engines to my site and thought that making "duplicates" of my existing site, each site with a new unique URL and unique domain, unique title and description, and body text slightly rewritten to focus on different keywords, would be a good idea. I also planned on a new look with different background color and font.

Now I read your newsletter and see that you think it's a BIG no, no! Instead you suggest creating keyword-rich content pages for my main site.

My questions to you about this matter are...

Category: Articles (Search Engine Optimization and Marketing)

HighRankings' SEO Process
In this article, Jill Whalen explains how to improve search engine rankings through keyword research and search engine marketing.

Introduction

Set Website Goals

The first thing I do when starting a new SEO campaign is find out the goals for the site and the optimization in general. For instance, is the goal simply to drive more targeted traffic to the site or is it to get people to sign up for a newsletter? Is the goal to get someone to make a purchase online, or is it to entice people to call or fill out a form requesting more information? Usually, the goals will be a combination of things. Very often different pages within the site will have different goals, and these need to be kept in mind throughout the SEO process.

Conduct Keyword Research

With the end goals in mind, the next step is to compile a brainstormed keyword phrase list. At this point...

Category: Articles (Search Engine Optimization and Marketing)

Search Engine Optimization Articles and Resources
Information from Jill Whalen, to help you understand how to build a sound, long-term business on the Internet.
Category: Articles (Search Engine Optimization and Marketing)

Improving Link Popularity
Increasing link popularity means more than trying to improve Google PageRank. Jill Whalen explains linking strategies, clarifies reciprocal linking, and discusses link quality.

Introduction

For years, "link popularity" and "Google PageRank" have been the talk of the town in the search engine optimization community. However, the definition of link popularity and how it differs from PageRank (PR), as well as how much effect these actually have on search engine rankings, is often misunderstood.

What is Link Popularity?

The theory goes something like this: The search engine Powers That Be have decided that if other sites are linking to your site, it must be a winner; therefore, it deserves a boost in rankings (when all else is equal). If you think about it, this makes a lot of sense. People link to good sites, not bad ones.

PageRank Does Not Equal Link Popularity

It's important to note that Google PageRank is not the same thing as link popularity...

Category: Articles (Search Engine Optimization and Marketing)

Is Web Content Really That Important?
In this series of FAQ about search engine optimization (SEO), Jill Whalen answers common questions about SEO.

Introduction

If you're so smart and keep telling everyone that content is king, then how come the top pages for the keyword [insert any word here] don't have lots of visible content?

I do believe that content is king, because that's what the people who visit your site are looking for. However, content doesn't necessarily mean 250 words (or whatever) of text. Content means different things for different sites. Content can simply be your product offerings. For instance, sites from well-known brands very often have no visible copy on their home pages, but still rank highly for some very general keywords. This is often due to their strong brand, which brings in tons and tons of natural links to the site.

Branding Gather Links Naturally

Natural links are those that people add to their own websites just because they found them relevant to whatever point they were trying to make...

Category: Articles (Search Engine Optimization and Marketing)

Ranking Well in Google
In this series of FAQ about SEO (search engine optimization), Jill Whalen answers the question "Why does my site rank poorly on Google?"

Introduction

My site is showing up for my major keyword phrases in Yahoo and MSN but I'm nowhere to be found in Google. Why does Google hate me? (Or alternatively, my site was doing well on Google but its rankings have suddenly plummeted. Am I penalized?)

If you're going to be in the SEO biz, or even if you're just trying to get your own personal business site more exposure in the search engines, you need to realize that rankings (and the traffic they may bring) are not static. You may get comfortable seeing your site rank highly for your most coveted keyword phrases, but don't ever assume it will remain there forever.

Search Engine Penalization

Sites do not get penalized or banned unless something has been done which deceives the search engines...

Category: Articles (Search Engine Optimization and Marketing)

Placing Key Phrases on a Web Page
In this series of FAQ about search engine optimization (SEO), Jill Whalen answers the question "Where should I put my keywords and phrases?"

Introduction

I heard from the dogcatcher that I need to place my keyword phrases in: [bold] [italics] [H1s] [alt tags] [Meta tags] [anchor text] [Title tags] [body text] [the first few words on my site] [the first paragraph of my site] [the last paragraph of my site] [my cousin Vinnie's site]. Is this true?

The most important places to utilize your researched keyword phrases (anywhere from 3-5 of these per page) are:

1. your Title tags
2. in the visible copy that people read, and
3. in onsite and offsite links (aka the "anchor text").

Place Keywords for the Reader

Whether they're in the first paragraph, first words, last words, or whatever really doesn't make all that much difference. I've long ago stopped worrying about specific places and coding and simply use them where they make sense from a reader's perspective.
Category: Articles (Search Engine Optimization and Marketing)

Common Sense Search Engine Optimization
Jill Whalen explains a common sense approach to search engine optimization.

Introduction

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:

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.

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!

Our site needs to be on the cutting edge and use Flash animation and/or lots of graphics. Since the search engines can't index these very well, I have to use gateway pages.
Category: Articles (Search Engine Optimization and Marketing)

Choosing Keywords that Attract a Target Audience
A reader wonders how to differentiate her Website for her target audience.

Introduction

How To Achieve Rankings High Enough To Attract My Target Audience?

I am planning to start a web design business, targeting small business owners, within the next year. I want to make sure that my clients receive the best advice from me that they can about how to attract visitors to their web sites.

I have searched the web high and low for an answer to my question regarding the effectiveness of SEO, and have not found a satisfactory answer.

Since my clients are going to be small business owners, and there are gazillions of web sites relating to all of the search terms they could possibly come up with, how can SEO help them? What are the odds, even with expertise such as yours, that they will achieve a ranking high enough to enter the consciousness of their potential customers?

Jill Whalen responds...
Category: Articles (Search Engine Optimization and Marketing)

Frequent Search Engine Spidering
SEO Jill Whalen explains affect of frequent search engine spidering on Web page rank.

Introduction

Does a "Fresh Site" Improve Search Engine Rankings?

I've been following your newsletter for ages now (since before you went solo with High Rankings) and would appreciate your help with this question. I've been speaking with a client about changes to their web site. They have been told previously that using rotating images on a web page helps to keep a site "fresh" for search engines. That sounds odd to me.

Plus, based on comments you have made in previous newsletters, I get the impression that good content does not need to be updated to remain high on search engines' results. So please help me...how important is updating content? Do search engines reward sites with recent changes?

Category: Articles (Search Engine Optimization and Marketing)

Alexa Toolbar Rankings
Search engine optimization expert Jill Whalen addresses accuracy of the Alexa toolbar rankings.

Introduction

Can you tell me a little about the Alexa toolbar and whether the "traffic ranking" has any real bearing on the popularity (traffic) to the website? My understanding is that it can only track site visitors who have the toolbar installed.

Specifically, I'm puzzled about a site that I just came across. The Alexa ranking is 151,351 which is not too shabby, all things considered. (Of course it doesn't compare with your site!)

This site has a single link on the front page that takes you to a Flash intro. The site is done in frames. It seems to me that it should not be drawing that kind of traffic. I couldn't find them on Google or Yahoo in the natural or paid listings. Where is this traffic coming from?

It seems they are doing everything that you warn against and are still able to draw significant amounts of traffic. Please enlighten me?
Category: Articles (Search Engine Optimization and Marketing)

Black Hat vs. White Hat SEO
Jill Whalen discusses validity of ethical search engine marketing versus "black hat" spamming.

Introduction

Definitions: Ethical SEO = White Hat
Search Engine Spammers = Black Hat

For those who haven't heard, for the past year or two some have labeled different forms of search engine optimization by different hat colors. Those who practice what some refer to as "ethical" SEO are the White Hats (like the good guys in the movies), and those who some refer to as "spammers" are the Black Hats (like the bad guys in the movies). Those who are not quite as pure as the driven snow but who aren't quite as... umm... aggressive as a full-fledged "search engine spammer" are sometimes referred to as Gray Hats.

But are these labels helping anyone, and do they really mean anything? Certainly, the SEO methods I use would put me into the White Hat category. Lucky me. Does this make me better than those in the Black Hat category? I guess the question would be, better at what? It doesn't make me a better person, nor does it necessarily make me a better SEO. It might make me better at not getting a site banned from the search engines, but then again, most Black Hats know that their sites will eventually get banned and have figured that into their business model. So it's not really a question of good or bad, like the hats seem to imply.

Different Business Models ...

Category: Articles (Search Engine Optimization and Marketing)

Search Engine Marketing Article
Article explains how to tell if a search engine marketing firm is legitimate.

Introduction

Have you ever gotten e-mail similar to this:

"Hi Website Owner,

"We noticed that your site isn't found under the keyword phrase, `freckles on English bulldogs.' With our proprietary software, we can determine your rankings in the top 32,727 search engines, and we guarantee we'll get you top 10 rankings for every keyword phrase that's relevant to your business."

Okay, I exaggerated a little, but you know what I mean. You've gotten these e-mail too.

What do e-mail like this do for the search engine industry? Regretfully, it often lumps us together with e-mail spammers and snake oil salesmen who promise the moon but can't deliver.

It even causes some people to question the professionalism of the industry in general.

So, how does the "average" person know which search engine optimization firms are legitimate? How do you know who you can trust, versus who should be tossed in the same category as the "get rich quick schemes" that never work?

Let's look at a few suggestions. ...

Category: Articles (Search Engine Optimization and Marketing)

Overture vs. Google AdWords
Article explains differences between the Overture and AdWords pay per click search engine programs.

Introduction

(In response to a reader question) Interesting issue, Karen. Since your Overture campaign is generating twice as many leads as your AdWords campaign, and is doing so at only 2/3 of the cost, it sounds like your Overture campaign is actually working three times better than AdWords. In my experience, the results from Overture campaigns vs. AdWords will vary from one campaign to the next, but not enough to justify the disparity you're experiencing. This leads me to believe that your situation is more likely due to the campaign settings within your AdWords account. I'll break down some of the major differences below, and hope this helps identify the lurking variable(s). I'll work from the assumption that you're pleased with the results generated by your Overture campaign and would like to figure out how to configure your AdWords campaign to match Overture's . I'm also going to assume that a visitor to your site from an AdWords-powered pay-per-click result is likely just as qualified as one from an Overture result. This may not be entirely the case, but I don't think it accounts for the variance in ad performance you are experiencing.

Differences Between Google Adwords and Overture
Category: Articles (Search Engine Optimization and Marketing)

Writing SEO Articles
I was so excited to read his post! Google-icon Matt Cutts was blogging on August 21st and hit the nail on the head (as he does quite frequently). The title of the post was, "SEO Advice: Writing useful articles that readers will love." That, in and of itself, says it all. Why is this such a thrilling post? Because it reinforces what I've been saying for years. Whether you're writing content for a website, an article or any type of SEO copy, you must think of the reader first.
Category: Articles (Search Engine Optimization and Marketing)

Search Engine Marketing, Optimization - Articles

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