February 2004 Monthly Newsletter :: Anduro Marketing
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Websites (from a Search Engine Perspective)
One of the goals of a good Search Engine Marketing strategy is to increase a website's search engine ranking through natural listings. For this to happen, search engine spiders must be able to find the site, crawl the site, and pick up keywords to add to its database. Optimized effectively for search engine compatibility, a company's website can drastically improve its ability to draw traffic. To be a successful and sound investment for your company, a website must meet 7 criteria relating to search engine compatibility.
Compatibility
In this article we address the concepts of compatibility and readability from the perspective of search engines designed to crawl web pages. A company may have the most visually stunning website, but if search engines like Google can't find or index the content, neither will potential customers. Then a shiny website becomes simply another piece of cyberspace debris.
As you will read, there are many obstacles to search engine spiders, but there are a number of things that can be done to improve search engine compatibility. The following 7 criteria will determine whether or not search engines will be able to "read" your company's website.
1. Hosting Server and Domain Name
If your website it hosted on a secure server then it is not accessible to the general public, which means it is also inaccessible to search engines. Consider changing servers for the main site and keeping critical data on the secure host. Also, if your domain name has a re-direct, or contains characters such as "?", then it will be difficult for search engine spiders to read the site content.
2. Use of Flash, Frames, or Dynamic Content
It's been said that language is everything and that may be true, though here we're referring to programming language. If a website has dynamically generated pages, or uses technologies such as Flash or Frames, it may be very difficult for search engine spiders to index the pages correctly. One solution is to create a static HTML site. If this is not possible due to previous investments in a dynamic site, static pages, optimized with keywords (E.g. Anduro Marketing' eSignPosts) can be developed to work well with search engines.
3. Links and Crawling
In order for a search engine spider to crawl all the pages on your company's website, there must be links between them. An excellent way to do this is with a site map. A site map is an outline showing all the pages on your website and how they link to each other. It is good practice to ensure there are no dead ends or "orphan" pages and there is an organized link structure throughout your company's website.
4. Optimized and Readable Content
The written content of the website should be professional and original. High quantities of quality content are search engine magnets. The more targeted your content, seeded with the right keywords, the easier it is to attain high search engine ranking, and the easier it is for potential customers to find you.
5. Keyword Optimization
Well chosen keywords should be seeded throughout the site content. These keywords are the terms that potential customers are typing into search engines and are crucial to natural listings. The website content is the most important place for these keywords to be found, though they can also be placed in high profile code areas on each page; doing so signals to search engine spiders that those keywords are the main corresponding search terms.
6. High Quality In-bound Links
In-bound links are one of the greatest influences on search engine positioning. Quantity is a consideration but it is the quality of the in-bound links that counts the most. For Google, links from high ranking websites will result in higher positioning for your company's site.
Directory submissions are a great way to develop a network of in-bound links. Submissions should be made to the major directories such as the Yahoo! Directory (which charges a fee), the Open Directory Project (which has no listing fee), and others. Inclusion in these directories involves an application which includes a site description and category. Human editors will review your application and determine whether or not to include your site. Not only will being listed in major directories drive targeted traffic to your website, it will increase your Google page rank!
There are also many local and international Industry Directories pertaining to the industry segment of your company. Submission to these directories increases your website's exposure, as well as the number of pages linking to it.
7. Website Reports
We have now discussed how to improve a website for maximum search engine compatibility. Once these criteria are fulfilled, you need to be able to determine the results of your efforts. Many tracking and reporting options are available but the most important figures to be aware of are:
- The total number of visitors to the website per month
- The number of unique visitors per month
- The average time each visitor spend on the site
- The percentage of visitors to the website as compared to total number of searches on specific keywords
- The percentage of keywords that are ranking well
- The number of unique paths used by visitors to navigate the site
Summary
Meet the 7 criteria outlined in this month's newsletter to ensure your company's website can be crawled easily by search engines and found by potential customers. Proper implementation will lead to higher exposure which may lead to better in-bound links and result in higher positioning.
This information should arm you with the knowledge you need to develop an effective and sustainable Internet Marketing strategy for your company. For more information, contact a professional SEM firm and keep updated with Anduro Marketing' newsletters which will continue to show you the keys to Internet Marketing success!
For more information on any of the products available from Anduro Marketing, contact us at info@anduro.com or (403) 410-3803.
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