Most of the
time when we pitch to a new client we are asked for
SEO guarantees. Your competition has guaranteed
top results and submission to 100,000 Search Engines
and Directories . We go all out educating clients that
Search Engine Optimization is all about smart work and
not just adding random keywords and submitting to every
directory possible. I'm writing this article to reach
out to the SEO buyers and help them distinguish the
crooks from the genuine SEO. I've compiled my Search
marketing experience over the years in this article.
I hope this helps you in selecting your Search Marketing
initiative.
Commandment 1: There are no Rank Guarantees. (Period)
Search Engines alone control their indexing and ranking
algorithm. Do not try to trick Search Engines. The only
way to improve your Search Engine Ranks is by playing
by the rules. And the rule is very simple: make it logical.
Web content is primarily for the site visitor and not
crawlers.
If your Search Engine Optimizer sold you magic Top rank
on google in 10 days flat . Forget it. There are no
short cuts. Top ranking in Search Engines Natural Results
will take time. Hard work is imperative especially for
the content on your website and the links to your site.
Commandment 2: Ranking is not the end, it's the means.
Ask yourself what will Top Search Engine Ranks get you?
Most businesses are interested in increasing sales on
the website or in the least driving qualified traffic.
Ranking for the right keywords (keywords used by your
target audience) is important. There are SEOs who would
try to show case results for keywords that occur only
on your website. Beware such gimmicks.
Commandment 3: Know your competition.
Rank is relative position and more so in the Search
Engine's natural results. How well you do in the Search
Engine Results is a function of how much hard work you
have put over competition. Analyze competition's keywords,
links, keyword density and spread. But be sure to never
copy your competition.
Commandment 4: Use Search Engine Friendly design.
A search and visitor friendly design is must for any
successful website. Your website should be compelling
enough for repeat visits by search engines and potential
customers. Make sure you have Search Engine friendly
URLs and avoid those long URLs with query strings (http://mywebsite.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=5&a=z&f=g).
You should also make sure that your web designer follows
global coding standards like w3c http://www.w3.org/
Commandment 5: Select Keywords that are worth.
You must research the keywords before targeting. There
are tools that give you good idea of keyword's search
potential for example (http://www.wordtracker.com/, http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion/,
https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordSandbox
). It is important to know the number of searches for
a keyword in the last month, last 6 months and last
year. You should also find out the number of web pages
that are targeting the keyword. It is advisable to start
a campaign with keywords with moderate competition and
high number of search.
Commandment 6: Write Great content.
Even if your website site is technically perfect for
search engine robots, it won't do you any good unless
you also fill it with Great content. Great is contextual
and has editorial value. Great content brings repeat
visits and increases the chance of conversion. Great
content is factual and appeals to the target audience.
The web page should have desired action embedded in
the content. You must ensure that the content is
fresh. Keep adding and editing the content regularly.
Commandment 7: Use good hyper linking strategy.
Hyperlinks make the content accessible and contextual.
You must hyperlink in the right context within the website
and to the other websites. Good links are appreciated
by the Search Engines and by the visitors. No one likes
to be taken to a mall selling Macintosh when shopping
for apples .
Commandment 8: Write relevant and original Meta content.
Meta content is like business cards. Just as your business
card tells who you are and what you do Meta content
tells the Search Engines the relevance and context of
a web page. Resist the temptation to include everything
in the Meta content, but make it detailed. Confused?
The idea is to include only what is relevant to the
page in the Meta Content but include everything that
is relevant.
Commandment 9: Acquire Relevant Links.
The Links you acquire are the roads to your web page
for Search Engine Bots and visitors. Good links increase
your web page's equity on the World Wide Web and bad
link make a dent to the equity and credibility. Be selective
in reciprocal linking. Both reciprocal and one way links
work, if you are prudent in selecting the links. Submit
your website to the relevant sections in relevant directories.
Commandment 10: Consult experts, if you need to.
If you have the competence there are two ways to learn.
Learning from one's own mistakes and learning form other's
experience. You could choose either. If you have the
time and can wait for the online dollars do it yourself.
If you want to get started now it may be useful to consult
the experts.
Author's
Bio:
The author is an expert in Search Marketing with
over 10 years Online Marketing experience. He heads
http://www.rankuno.com/ the specialist
in online marketing and Search
Engine Optimization. RankUno empowers its clients
around the world with high ROI online marketing programs.
He may be reached at bhaskar@rankuno.com |
