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How to Improve Your Site's Search Results Rating
Desperately
Seeking: Your Web Site
It's one thing to have a great Web site. It's another
thing entirely to get the word out to the masses that you exist. As you
know, the vast majority of Web surfers rely heavily on search engines to
find Web sites of interest. You know what a search engine is-it surfs the
Web looking for sites that match the query of a user. But do you know how
search engines work? And do you know how to improve your status in a
search engine to maximize the hits you receive? Also, did you know there
are actually two major types of search tools? Yep, besides search engines,
there are directories.
Well, we're here to explain.
First
Things First: DEFINITIONS
Search
Engines
A search engine crawls all around the Web, looking for
the search keyword or phrase in the titles, content, and metatags of all
the pages that make up a site. Found pages are catalogued into an index.
When a user does a search using a search engine, the engine will look
through its indexed sites-that is sites it has already tracked-- for
matches.
What happens if you change the content, title and
metatags of your site? Eventually, the engine will crawl back on over,
note the changes, and re-index your stuff. This can take a while for two
reasons. First, the crawler might only come knocking once a month or even
longer up the road. Second, once the changes are found, it could take
another stretch of time for them to show up in the index. Remember, it's a
mighty big Web out there and these things take time, which is one reason
it's important to do a bang-up job the first time you create your site.
Directories
A directory also uses an index, but one that is smaller
than the index of most search engines. But the directory's index is not
based on every word in every title, body, and metatag of a page. Instead,
a directory collects URLs and brief descriptions of the sites these
URLs link to. The descriptions are then indexed. When a user is searching
for a keyword or phrase, the directory searches only through the summary
looking for that keyword or phrase. Which is why you need to make sure you
submit well-thought out descriptions, which we will tutor you on here
shortly.
Is
Galaxy a Search Engine or a Directory?
Galaxy is what's called a hybrid site. That is it
contains only URLs that have been reviewed by actual humans but then every
one of those sites is indexed by our search engine (as opposed to other
search engines that just go out there and index billions of sites at
random). This means you should pay close attention to what to do to your
site to increase ranking on both search engines and directories in order
the get the best results for your listing in Galaxy.
First
Things First: Compare Your Site to Others
One of the first steps you can take is to do a search
in the major directories and search engines and see which of your
competitors' sites rank higher in the results that yours. Analyze their
site, HTML, and directory description and you will often find they've done
a better job at implementing steps, such as the ones detailed below, that
help rank them higher than your site in the results of most search engines
and directories. So just follow their lead and make sure you do a bit
better job than they did on their site in order for your site to rank
above theirs in most search results.
What
Do Search Engines and Directories Look For When Ranking Sites?
Okay, duh, we all know the technical answer is: they
look for Web sites related to a keyword or phrase. But how come certain
sites rank higher than others when you receive your results?
The answer to that question can vary-keep in mind that
every search engine and directory is at least a little different from
every other one. But here are some key ideas to keep in mind when you're
shooting to optimize your visibility.
Search Strategies
If you've visited Galaxy's help section, you already
know about Search Strategies which involves your sitting down and taking
some time, away from the computer, to really think about what your goals
are. In this case, your biggest goal is visibility. You want users
to know your site exists. You want it to be called up by search engines
and by directories. How to tackle both?
First, think like a user searching the Net for a
product, service or information on the topic your Web site covers. Let's
say your Web site specializes in pajamas for dogs. Perhaps your site also
has related content about dogs-breeder information, national and local dog
clubs, tips on dog training, etc. However, you most hope to reach
an audience interested in purchasing dog pajamas.
Okay, now break down your process into two areas:
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Getting indexed by search
engines
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Getting indexed by
directories
Getting
Indexed by Search Engines
First and foremost, you want search engines to pick
up on the fact you have dog pajamas for sale. It can only do this by
looking for words and phrases known as keywords.
The first place a search engine will look is the title.
Next it will look at your content. It
will probably, but not necessarily, also look at metatags.
It might look to see if a lot of other folks link to your site-you
know, like how popular are you? Two final, important points: the
search engine will look to see how often keywords for your
topic appear on your site, and where on the page they appear.
The closer to the top, the higher your site ranks in the search
results.
Before we look at the above components - title,
content, metatags, links, and frequency and placement of keywords,
let's stop and think about the actual keywords people might use if
they are searching for your particular service. Then we'll look at
examples of keyword placement on your page to give you an idea of how
to best position yours.
Keywords
Keywords and phrases are crucial. Again, you
must think like a user to be certain you are picking just the right
words and phrases. Pretend you know absolutely nothing about dog
lingerie. Now pretend you want to search for the topic. What would you
type in the search box? Here are some possibilities, with
explanations:
Dog:
this is a very broad keyword. But some
people might use it. Since it happens to be part of your specific
topic, dog lingerie, it will work okay as a keyword.
Poodle:
unless you are specifically offering
a line of lingerie for poodles and only poodles, this keyword would be
too narrow. A user who owns a poodle might try the word, but for your
purposes, it's too narrow to use in, say, the title. You might
consider using it in a metatag, but we'll get to those details in a
bit.
Pajamas:
this word is too broad, unless you
pair it with the word dog.
Dog Pajamas:
Clearly the most important
search phrase. First, it is exactly what you are selling. Second, it
is a phrase. A phrase is two or more words and can really
narrow a user's search.
Now make a list. Include all the keywords you can
think of, including too broad and too narrow. Once you have created
your list, organize it by relevance-from most important to least
important in relation to your topic.
Very important: Have you scrutinized all of your
pages-not just the home page? Each page needs a list of keywords. For
example, let's say you have a link on your home page to an inside page
about dog training. The phrase "dog training" is a keyword
that applies to both the front page (because the link is there) and
the inside page (because that's the topic of that page.) But the
inside page could also use keywords like "dog behavior"
"dog housetraining," whereas these keywords have no place on
the front page.
Now let's look at how to use this information for
keyword placement.
Keyword Placement
You've established that your most important key
phrase is "dog pajamas." You've also decided that "dog
apparel" is very pertinent, as is "dog clothing." How
can you place these at your site in the most beneficial way? Here are
some ideas.
Title
Let's say your company's name is Poochy PJs. If you
only use the company name in the title, a search engine looking for
"dog pajamas" will not find you. So try something like:
Poochy PJs Dog Pajamas
Or
Poochy PJs Dog Pajamas and Dog Apparel
That way, people who know your company by name will
find you if they use the company name as a search phrase. People
searching for "dog pajamas" and "dog apparel" will
also find you.
Content
Keep in mind the importance of frequency and
placement of keywords in your content. If you use your keywords and
phrases too frequently, a search engine may interpret that as spam and
avoid you altogether. Don't go overboard. Do be sure to put the most
pertinent words in the description of your company, and put that
description at the top of your site.
Example
Poochy PJs welcomes you to explore a great selection of apparel for
dogs. Our main specialty is dog pajamas. In addition to dog pajamas,
we also feature dog bathrobes, dog slippers, and dog nightgowns. Dog
apparel will make your pooch the envy of his canine pals.
After that, you might feature links to other pages
on your site. Title these with care. "Dog Apparel,"
"Dog Pajamas…" etc. This way, you give your customer
valuable information-where to find a specific item. You also increase
the frequency of keyword usage.
Metatags
Metatags are not seen on the Web site, but lie
"behind" the scenes in the HTML code. Some people think
metatags are to Web users what dog whistles are to dogs. Though
invisible, metatags can be read by search engines. While it's a good
idea to put as many relevant keywords as possible in your metatags,
remember:
-
Not all search engines read metatags, so it's
crucial that the most pertinent words also appear in the title and
body of your page.
-
If you overuse metatags-for example putting
"dog pajamas" 700 times in your HTML-it could be read as
spam and you might not make it into an index.
-
Sure, you can try to trick search engines by
playing games with your metatags. But search engines are getting
smarter and catching more and more underhanded methods. Besides,
with the time it takes you to think up and execute some scheme,
you might as well just go ahead and put good content on your pages
which will be legitimately picked up by the search engine.
-
There are different types of metatags. The ones
to focus on are keyword tags, which we've discussed, and description
tags, which automatically feed a search engine a description
of your page. That way, your description gets indexed instead of
the engine creating a description.
-
Use our automatic metatag
generator to generate metatags for your site.
To learn more about metatags, go here: http://jimworld.com/metatag.html
Links
There
are a few things you need to know about links:
-
Some search engines will track how popular your
site is based on how many other sites point to it. The idea behind
this is that if a lot of other people are recommending your site,
that must mean you have a pretty good site. So don't be shy about
offering to crosslink with sites that are related to yours. For
example, you might approach the folks who have a Web site that
sells dog swimsuits and see if they'll link to you in exchange for
your linking to them.
-
If you have an image map link from your home
page to the inside pages, this will prevent a search engine from
getting into your site to index your content. Make sure you have
HTML links on your homepage that the search engine can read and
follow.
-
It's a good idea to create a site map page with
text links to all of your pages.
-
Link your pages to each other. That way, a
search engine reads one page, gets to the link, and follows it to
the next page on your site.
Things to Watch Out For
-
Javascript gets read first by a search engine
which can mean your keywords are moved down, which means even if
your site is a precise match for a user's keyword or phrase, you
might drop in the ranking of return results.
-
Tables appear one way to a user and another way
to a search engine. Very similar to the Java example above. If
it's not crucial for your table to be at the top of your page, go
ahead and move it down, below important text which contains
keywords.
-
Graphics. Same deal. Make sure that some
relevant text appears before a graphic or within the Alt= tag for
that graphic.
-
Frame Links. Similar deal. Can mess up how
you're ranked.
-
HTML is your buddy. It's the most easily read
and indexed code.
-
Static vs. Dynamic. A search probably can't
deal with your dynamic pages. Make sure you have good, solid
static pages with keywords and phrases positioned correctly.
-
Let's say you meet two people at a party. One
is named Gsklaopuasdfdjysdf. The other is named Bob. Both are very
interesting. But when you search your memory later to recall their
names, what will be your first result? Bob. Right. Well, a good
domain name isn't just important for helping clients to remember
it. It can also improve your site rankings in search results.
Domain names can be tricky business. Seems like all
the good ones are taken. You could go for free Web space courtesy of
another company, and bury a keyword in your url. For example, you sell
fly swatters. You have a Web page at joeblowsfreewebspacesite. Your
url looks like this:
www.joeblowsfreewebspacesite.com/~yourname/flyswatter
Not good. But www.flyswatter.com is already
taken you say? Well then, spend some time and come up with a good
compromise. Do everything you can to work a keyword or related topic
into your url. URLs. Avoid symbols that can confuse search engines and
stick with the good old alphabet for a reliable, readable url. Avoid
really long urls or urls that are hard to spell. Once you find a name
that makes sense and is available, do not sit around. Buy the thing.
Now. Good.
Beware of Free for All lists. You know the
old saying, "You get what you pay for"? Well, based on the
first word in Free for All, observe that you pay nothing. And that's
about what you'll get in return.
A Free for All (FFA) list is a Web page that is
full of links, links and more links. These links are sent in by users.
Let's say the list has a limit of one hundred links. If you submit
link 101, then the oldest link on the list is bumped and you move onto
the list. The alleged idea is that this will trick search engines into
seeing your link-when it's high on the list supposedly it ranks high
in search returns.
But think about it. First of all your link
eventually gets bumped. Second of all, when you register at a site
like this, you can pretty much count on their access to your email
account leading to a pile of crap mail for you to deal with. So maybe
we should say FFA-Forget Free Alliances. Not worth your time.
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Load Time is how long it takes your site to show
up on a user's monitor once the url is entered and clicked. And it
can take a load of time for some sites to appear. Part of this is a
user end situation and you can't help it if someone is using a 14.4
modem. But you can make your site more user friendly by keeping in
mind that not everyone has a T1, DSL, or cable connection. Yeah, we
know you want to ghost images of your pet dogs and your fiance and
your new car behind the text on your front page. Don't do it.
Balance out graphics-to-text ratios on your pages. Keep the front
page clean and graphics-simple. You can save the fancy stuff for
inside pages. A fast load time will increase your high-on-the-list
chances during a search return.
Stepping through the Doorway
As we discussed, every search engine has subtle
nuances that differentiate it from every other search engine. That
means that even if your site ranks in the top ten in one engine's
results, it might not rank nearly as high in a different search by
another engine.
One thing you can do to increase your odds of
ranking high in searches for major engines is to educate yourself as
to what they look for when they search. Then, build a doorway
page - sometimes called gateway page, bridge page, entry page,
jump page or supplemental page - to meet the specific criteria of
the biggest engines. Your doorway page contains a few keywords,
prominently placed on the page (at the top, at the beginning of your
opening sentence) to grab the engine's attention.
These are independent pages-users don't scroll
down to find lots of content. Instead, often, a doorway page
contains very brief company information: a logo, a bit of content,
and then an entry link to the rest of the page.
Think of it like this. You have an across the
street neighbor who visits you and knocks on the front door. You
have a neighbor across the alley who visits and knocks on the back
door. Your house is the Web site. Your front and back doors are
doorway pages-separate entrances where neighbors can find you. But
once you let them in your house/Web site, they see the exact same
content.
Doorway pages are especially important if you
have a lot of dynamic content. For example, further along we will
explain how ActiveX code and Java Applets can hinder your ranking.
Does that mean you shouldn't use these things? No. But if you use
them, use them on inside pages and make a doorway page (or pages)
that search engines will look at and index.
Don't Be Obnoxious in the Doorway
More than once we've discussed how folks try to
trick search engines. And it's true, you could build fifty nearly
identical doorway pages to try to increase your ranking with fifty
different search engines. But remember, if an engine detects this -
and engines are getting more and more sophisticated - your site
could be booted, not listed at all. Make sure each doorway page you
create is legitimate and that it contains elements that clearly
differentiate it from sister doorways.
Remember, each doorway you create should be
inviting to a different search engine. Choose the best keywords for
an engine, keep them to a minimum, place them at or near the top of
the page, and don't add a whole lot of other text to the doorway-the
less non-keyword to keyword ratio you can come up with, the better.
Getting
Indexed by Directories
In order to be indexed by directories, you'll
need to submit some information. A summary is key to your ranking.
In our section Getting Indexed by Search Engines we've explained the
importance of such criteria as urls, keywords, metatags and more.
Because those are all very important to search engine searches.
It's a different story with directories. Bear in
mind that good domain names, content, and keywords and phrases
throughout your pages are always important regardless of whether you
are targeting a directory or search engine. But let's discuss the
elements of a great summary since, right now, you want to know about
directories.
How do you write a great summary? You must create
a concise, inviting, keyword and phrase-laden description. It's not
that hard. For starters, just sit down and, without looking at the
site itself or any notes you've taken on keywords (which you should
have compiled when learning about how to be indexed by a search
engine) write a description. Don't worry if it isn't perfect. It's
not supposed to be-this is the first draft. Just pretend you are
telling a friend, in a note, what your site is about.
Now look at what you've written. Compare it to
your list of keywords and phrases. Did you use many/all of them?
Hopefully the answer is yes. If not, that's okay. Let's get back in
there and fix it. Rewrite what you've written and this time, try
working in some of the keywords. Now do a third draft and, if
necessary, a fourth. No griping-this can make the difference between
whether potential clients see you or not.
Let's look at an example for Poochy PJs
Poochy PJs is the perfect place to get your dog pajamas. You
can also find other dog apparel here, including dog bathrobes and
dog slippers. See fun photographs of canines enjoying their Poochy
PJs. Learn about dog breeds, dog training, and dog associations.
Your pet is important to us. Our dog accessories are sure to
please you and your best friend. Phone: 555-555-5555 Fax:
555-555-5555
Notice that these key phrases appear: dog pajamas, dog apparel,
dog bathrobes, dog slippers, canines, Pooch PJs, dog breeds, dog
training, dog associations, pet, and dog accessories. Also notice
that additional contact information is provided-if you have a phone
and/or fax number which you use for business, be sure to include it.
Doorways and Directories Don't Mix...
See our above section defining Doorways. Humans who compile
directories do not groove on doorways. Think of them as partygoers
who do not want to be left on the front step waiting. When
submitting your site to a directory, be sure to submit the main
front page (the living room, as it were) instead of the doorway.
And
Finally: No-Nos For Both Search Engines and Directories
Even if you have a great site, certain features can hinder or
even prevent your site from being indexed. Be sure to avoid or
augment the following:
- Security: If your site's front page requires a user to
login with a user name and password, odds are slim that you'll get
indexed.
- Flash Applets: Got lots of fun moving pictures and
scrolling text courtesy of Java applets on your front page? Very
pretty. But can't be indexed.
- ActiveX: As with Flash, it this dynamic code appears on
your front page, your site can't be indexed.
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