Search Engine Optimization

Search Engine Optimization

Confidential 2012 Foetron Inc.

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What is a Search Engine? Definition: An internet-based tool that searches an index of documents for a particular term, phrase or text specified by the user. Commonly used to refer to large web-based search engines that search through billions of pages on the internet.Common Characteristics:Spider, Indexer, Database, AlgorithmFind matching documents and display them according to relevanceFrequent updates to documents searched and ranking algorithmStrive to produce better, more relevant results than competitors

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Directory are listing of static information that are usually inputted manually and not CRAWLED.

Some of the common characteristics of todays search engines are as follows:* A search engine component usually contain the following components I would like you to take a mental note of the Spider since this will be a important topic we will discuss later on today.

In early days for you who remember this WebCrawler was one of the many crawler based directory search engines . another common one that still exists today is AltaVista search engine.

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How do Search Engines Work ?Spider crawls the web to find new documents (web pages, other documents) typically by following hyperlinks from websites already in their database

Search engines indexes the content (text, code) in these documents by adding it to their databases and then periodically updates this content

Search engines search their own databases when a user enters in a search to find related documents (not searching web pages in real-time)

Search engines rank the resulting documents using an algorithm (mathematical formula) by assigning various weights and ranking factors

What is a SE Algorithm?Top Secret! Only select employees of a search engines company know for certain

Reverse engineering, research and experiments gives SEOs (search engine optimization professionals) a pretty good idea of the major factors and approximate weight assignments

The Search Engine algorithm is constantly changed, tweaked & updated

Websites and documents being searched are also constantly changing

Varies by Search Engine some give more weight to on-page factors, some to link popularity

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Search Engines major tasksSearch engines have two major functions - crawling & building an index, and providing answers by calculating relevancy & serving results.

Crawling and Indexing

Providing results

Crawling and indexing : The search engines need a way to crawl the entire city and find all the stops along the way, so they use the best path available links.Through links, search engines automated robots, called crawlers, or spiders can reach the many billions of interconnected documents.To accomplish the monumental task of holding billions of pages that can be accessed in a fraction of a second, the search engines have constructed datacenters all over the world.

Providing AnswersSearch engines are answer machines.It is both relevance and importance that the process of SEO is meant to influence.To a search engine, relevance means more than simply finding a page with the right words. In the early days of the web, search engines didnt go much further than this simplistic step, and their results suffered as a consequence.Today, 100s of factors influence relevance.

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Search Engine Optimization BasicsWhat is SEO?

Why does my website need SEO?

Why can't the search engines figure out my site without SEO?

What is SEO?Definition - SEO is the act of modifying a website to increase its ranking in organic (vs paid), crawler-based listings of search engines.

How do organic search listings work?A spider or crawler which is a component of a SE gathers listings by automatically "crawling" the web The spider follows links to web pages, makes copies of the pages and stores them in the SEs indexBased on this data, the SE then indexes the pages and ranks the websitesMajor SEs that index pages using spiders: Google, Altavista, Msn, Aol, lycos.

Spiders read only text, nothing else

What is SEO? (Cond.)SEO is the practice of improving and promoting a web site in order to increase the number of visitors the site receives from search engines.

There are many aspects to SEO, from the words on your page to the way other sites link to you on the web. Sometimes SEO is simply a matter of making sure your site is structured in a way that search engines understand.

Search Engine Optimization isn't just about "engines." It's about making your site better for people too.

Why does any website need SEO? (Cond.)Although social media and other types of traffic can generatevisits to your website , search engines are the primary method of navigation for most Internet users. This is true whether your site provides content, services, products, information or just about anything else.Search engines are unique in that they provided targeted traffic - people looking for what you offer. Search engines are the roadways that makes this happen. If your site cannot be found by search engines or your content cannot be put into their databases, you miss out on incredible opportunities available to websites provided via search.

Why can't the search engines figure out my site without SEO?The major engines are always working towards improving their technology to crawl the web more deeply and return better results to users. However, there is a limit to how search engines can operate.

In addition to making content available to search engines, SEO also helps boost rankings so that content will be placed where searchers will more readily find it.

The Internet is becoming increasingly competitive, and those companies who perform SEO will have a decided advantage in visitors and customers.

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Search Engine key terms & terminologiesThere are a few technical term which must be understood to learn search engine optimization.Here are a few important items of SEO:

Search QueriesSearch queries, the words that users type into the search box, carry extraordinary value. Experience has shown that search engine traffic can make (or break) an organization's success. Targeted visitors to a website can provide publicity, revenue, and exposure like no other channel of marketing. Investing in SEO, whether through time or finances, can have an exceptional rate of return compared to other types of marketing and promotion.

Keyword Types: When it comes toSEM, it is crucial to evaluate keyword type orkeyword matching options. There are four keyword match options that Google searches use to trigger your ads to appear including broad match, phrase match, exact match and negative match.Broad Match KeywordsPhrase Match KeywordsExact MatchNegative Match

Broad Match Keywords

Broad match keywordsallow your online ad to appear onsimilarand relevant variations of the search terms. This is crucial because every searcher is different. Each individual searcher uses a vast assortment of keywords and variations in their search terms. Using broad match is sure way to make sure you effectively reach all of your search audiences.Eg.Keyword: buy flowersMay show for these queries:buy flowerbuy red flowersflowers buynew york buy flowersbuy tulips

Phrase Match Keywords

Phrase match is much more targeted than broad match.Phrase match keywords only allow your ad copy to show if the searcher types in keywords that are located within the phrase . This is very effective because it ensures that only a specific target audience is reached. This is vital in generating quality leads to your website. Eg. For Keyword: buy flowers

May show for these queries:where can I buy flowersbuy flowers in new delhiBut not for these queries:buy red flowers (there is an extra word in between)flowers buy (the words are reversed)buy flower (this is the singular)Buy tulips (the words are different)

Exact MatchExact match keyword options are perfect for narrowing down your search target audiences. An exact match keyword only allows your advertisement to reach searches that match the exact keyword or phrase exclusively.Eg.Keyword: [buy flowers]May only show for the query:buy flowersBuy Flowers (capitalization doesnt matter)

Negative MatchA negative match keyword option is used when you dont want searchers to find your site if they are searching a specific keyword or phrase. Using negative match keywords are useful when people are searching terms or phrases that are irrelevant. There is no reason to pay for misleading traffic. This is especially important when the words give a negative connotation to your site.Eg. Keyword: -cheap, flowersYour ad will never show for these queries:Buy cheap flowersCheap flowers in New York

More advanced match typeSingle word phrase matchOnly show my ad when the query contains my keywordE.g. flowers may show for buy flowers but NOT floral arrangements or tulipsNegative exact match + Broad matchOnly show the ad for variations of my keywordE.g. flowers and [flowers] may show for flowers delivered but not flowers

Some SEO terminologiesPR = Page Rank a system for ranking web pages developed by Google - http://toolbar.google.comPPC = Pay Per Click online advertising payment model in which payment is based solely on qualifying click-through. CTR = Click Through Rate advertising term indicating the percentage of viewers who click on a banner advertisement and follow the link BLOGS = a frequent, chronological publication of personal thoughts and Web linksRSS = Real Simple Syndication

Display URL vs Destination URL

TheDisplay URLis the URL that appears below your ad text when your ad is shown. The Display URL should be no longer than 35 characters and is often the same URL as a sites homepage.

(e.g. www.foetron.com). TheDestination URL, is the specific location within your site where youd like to take a user that has clicked on your ad. It does not have to match the display URL, but should be in the same domain.(e.g. www.foetron.com/cloud).Display URLDestination URL

Reference: google.comURL: http://adwords.blogspot.in/2006/05/display-vs-destination-urls.html27

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SEO strategies & techniques There are many SEO strategies, that are popular in helping your site show better in search results. Few of them are :

Domain name strategies

- domain names are traffic magnets> 63 million domain names registered> 4.7 million domain names registered 1st quar- choose a domain name that will increase your search engine ranking. How? - simple, short, no hyphens, no numbers- use keywords, common words, advertising terms, product names- choose a keyword that is important for your business

SEO strategies & techniques 2. Linking strategies- the more inbound links the higher the SE ranking - if the site linking to you is already indexed, spiders will also receive your site- quality of inbound links is critical - how to increase links: a) good content b) good outbound links c) target a list of sites from which you can request inbound links - links for the sake of links can damage your search rankings

Link relevancy is critical in getting your site indexed by search engines

A small number of inbound links from high-quality, relevant sites is more valuable than many links from low-traffic, irrelevant sites.

SEO strategies & techniques 3. Keywords- important in optimising rankings- keywords are words that appear the most in a page- the spider chooses the appropriate keywords for each page, then sends them back to its SE - your web site will then be indexed based on your keywords - can be key phrases or a single keyword- do not use common words eg the and of: spiders ignore them- write keyword-rich text- balance keyword-rich and readability - always have text in your page: at least 100 words

SEO strategies & techniques 4. Title tags - important in optimising rankings - the first thing that a search engine displays on a search return - must keywords in title to be ranked no. 1- should have the exact keyword you use for the page- every single web page must have its own title tag - you can use up to 65 characters eg Ebayhttp://www.ebay.com/ (title is littered with keywords)

5. Meta description tags - the next important- displayed below the title in search results- use dynamic, promotional language- use keywords

SEO strategies & techniques

Meta keywords tags - no longer carry weight with major SEs- a myth that meta keywords alone affect rankings

6. Alt tags - include keywords in your alt tags

7. Submit your website to SEs for indexing- submit your site to search engine directories, directory sites and portal sites - indexing takes 1 wk to 3 months

SEO strategies & techniques SEO - what is NOT recommended

Flash and shockwave - spiders do not pick up these filesImage only sites - spiders do not pick up imagesImage maps - spiders cannot read image maps. Do not use them on your home page or critical pages. Frames - only one page can be titled (titling is critical in search rankings)- If the spider cannot read the complete page (because of the frames), - it will not be indexed properly. - Some spiders may not even read a frames web site Password protected pages spiders cannot enter password protected pages

SEO strategies & techniques PDF files - can be problematic for spiders. Although some search engines can index them, the pages must be interpreted into HTML and can lose much of their content. - place PDFs lower down in your siteDynamic pages - spiders cannot index some content on pages using ASP, CGI or other dynamic languages.- Make sure important pages are HTML, no dynamically generated content. Drop down menus spiders cannot read them

Site submission to Search EngineMajor SEs to submit to:Google http://www.google.com/addurl.html(Search engines that also use this database - Yahoo)Altavista http://addurl.altavista.com/sites/addurl/newurl (Search engines that also use this database - Looksmart)The Open Directory Project (DMOZ) http://dmoz.org/add.html(Search engines that also use this database - Ask Jeeves, Lycos, Netscape )Fast http://www.alltheweb.com/add_url.php(Search engines that also use this database - Lycos)Inktomi http://submitit.bcentral.com/msnsubmit.htm(Search engines that also use this database - AOL, Excite, MSN, Overture)MSN http://submitit.bcentral.com/msnsubmit.htmYahoo http://docs.yahoo.com/info/suggest

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Limitations of Search EnginesThe major search engines all operate on the same principles - Automated search bots crawl the web, follow links and index content in massive databases. They accomplish this with a type of dazzling artificial intelligence that is nothing short of amazing.There are technical limitations of all kinds that cause immense problems in both inclusion and rankings. The most common are listed below:Spidering and Indexing ProblemsContent to Query MatchingInterpreting Non-Text Content

Limitations (Contd.)Spidering and Indexing Problems

Search engines aren't good at completing online forms and thus any content contained behind them may remain hidden.Websites using a CMS (Content Management System) often create duplicate versions of the same page - a major problem for search engines looking for completely original content.Errors in a website's crawling directives (robots.txt) may lead to blocking search engines entirely.

Limitations (Contd.)Content to Query MatchingText that is not written in common terms that people use to search. For example, writing about "food cooling units" when people actually search for "refrigerators".Language and internationalization subtleties. For example, color vs colour. When in doubt, check what people are searching for and use exact matches in your content.Location targeting, such as targeting content in Polish when the majority of the people who would visit your website are from Japan.Mixed contextual signals. For example, the title of your blog post is "Mexico's Best Coffee" but the post itself is about a vacation resort in Canada which happens to serve great coffee. These mixed messages send confusing signals to search engines.

Limitations (Contd.)Interpreting Non-Text Content

Although the engines are getting better at reading non-HTML text, content in rich media format is traditionally difficult for search engines to parse.This includes text in Flash files, images, photos, video, audio & plug-in content.

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SEO information from Google Webmasters GuidelinesGooglers recommend the following to get better rankings in their search engine:Make pages primarily for users, not for search engines. Don't deceive your users or present different content to search engines than you display to users, which is commonly referred to as cloaking.Make a site with a clear hierarchy and text links. Every page should be reachable from at least one static text link.Create a useful, information-rich site, and write pages that clearly and accurately describe your content. Make sure that your elements and ALT attributes are descriptive and accurate.Use keywords to create descriptive, human friendly URLs. Provide one version of a URL to reach a document, using 301 redirects or the rel="canonical" element to address duplicate content.

SEO information from Bing Webmasters GuidelinesBing engineers at Microsoft recommend the following to get better rankings in their search engine:Ensure a clean, keyword rich URL structure is in placeMake sure content is not buried inside rich media (Adobe Flash Player, JavaScript, Ajax) and verify that rich media doesn't hide links from crawlers.Create keyword-rich content based on research to match what users are searching for. Produce fresh content regularly.Dont put the text that you want indexed inside images. For example, if you want your company name or address to be indexed, make sure it is not displayed inside a company logo.

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Good & Poor practices of Search Optimization

Good SEO Practice Create Crawlable StructureA crawlable link structure - one that lets their spiders browse the pathways of a website - is vital in order to find all of the pages on a website.Hundreds of thousands of sites make the critical mistake of structuring their navigation in ways that search engines cannot access, thus impacting their ability to get pages listed in the search engines' indices.

In the example above, Google's spider has reached page "A" and sees links to pages "B" and "E". However, even though C and D might be important pages on the site, the spider has no way to reach them (or even know they exist.) This is because no direct, crawlable links point to those pages. As far as Google is concerned, they might as well not exist - great content, good keyword targeting, and smart marketing won't make any difference at all if the spiders can't reach those pages in the first place.

Top signs of poor search optimizationSubmission-required formsRobots don't use search formsLinks in un-parseable JavaScriptLinks in flash, java, or other plug-insLinks pointing to pages blocked by the meta robots tag or robots.txtLinks on pages with many hundreds or thousands of links

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Sources and referencesGoogle.comWikipedia.comStanford.eduW3.unisa.edueworldcongress.smu.cacoalip.orgWebsterwebdesign.co.ukSeomoz.com

Confidential 2012 Foetron Inc.

Sushen JamwalMail: sushenjamwal@gmail.comTel: +91-9958867605Company: Foetron Inc.