Pay Per Click Advertising and SEO » Search Engine Optimisation

Google admits its SEO needs improving

James Oliver — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 08:15:19 +0000

To many this news will come as a shock, but it would seem that the Google Empire is not perfect after all. Just this week a detailed 49 page report has been published by Google that takes an in-depth look and rates its SEO on its various properties which includes the homepage.

Surprisingly Google did not pass with flying colours, in actual fact the report revealed that the company were failing in a number of categories. Google are planning to use the information garnered from the reports as a springboard to make improvements to its SEO. Also, in a stroke of generosity, Google have decided to share a selection of some of the metrics that they use.

The extensive report covers 100 of Google’s products, highlighting specific areas in need of improvement. One of the main areas in need of change is “search result presentation” which scored a mere 33/100 or lower in 3 different categories the lowest of these being “title tag format and length.”

For those not in the know when it comes to SEO this refers to how much information appears in the big, blue search result links as well as the text descriptions that appear below them. The report suggests different ways of fixing such problems.

The company also scored low on such points as the destination sites where images or logos may lead. The report found that more than half of these logos linked with somewhere they were not supposed to including the infamous and annoying 404 pages, once again the report suggested solutions this problem.

It was not all bad for Google, however, as some aspects of the reports yielded positive results. The company scored well in its offering of a clear main page result and also having proper use of internal anchor text and headline tags.

The full report can be viewed here.

Digg introduces NoFollow Tags

Jenny Sanderson — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:08:14 +0000

To the sound of a giant sigh of frustration from the SEO community, content site, Digg has introduced a rel=nofollow tag on all its content. The site had been a great opportunity to promote sites and gain high quality links for clients through well written copy. It was essentially the definition of white hat SEO.

Unfortunately, whenever a good opportunity like that comes along, there’s always going to be a few people – or maybe thousands of people – out there who just don’t fancy doing the work and attempt to abuse the system. In recent months, Digg has started to resemble a bit of a spam-fest with irrelevant and nonsensical articles starting to appear all over the shop. And so the Digg team have understandably decided to make all new outgoing links nofollow in order to deter unscrupulous users.

That’s not to say legitimate users should give up however, Digg spokespeople are at pains to point out that once they can verify a story it will have the rel=nofollow removed. So, basically, if your article is sound and it gets enough Diggs you will still feel the benefit of Digg use, it just may take some time.

Facebook downsizes for the Third World

Matt Thomas — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 09:08:19 +0000

Social networking site, Facebook has begun testing a pared down version of its full website for use in countries with unreliable access to high speed broadband. The service, known as Facebook Lite, is being piloted in India and will allow users access to the core elements of the network like photos, status updates and the wall. The fast loading version of the site is said to have a very ‘clean’ look, somewhat reminiscent of the original Facebook site.

According to a statement from Facebook, ‘We are currently testing Facebook Lite in countries where we are seeing lots of new users for the first time and are looking to start off with a more simple experience.’

However, it has been suggested by some that Facebook Lite is, in part at least, a reaction to the proliferation of Twitter over the last few months. The theory being that a simplified Facebook would occupy practically the same space as the hugely popular social network and, thanks to the brand loyalty that Facebook has built up over the years, might therefore stand a chance of competing.

it is also thought that this new version would appeal to the reasonably large number of Facebook users who dislike the more advanced functionalities like Facebook apps.

SEO School: Dashes not Underscores

James Oliver — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 11:19:33 +0000

Since you can’t use spaces in URL text, words tend to be separated by either dashes (-) or underscores (_). But does it matter which you use?

The simple answer is, yes it does, and here’s why…

The main reason is that the Google algorithm recognises some punctuation points but not all of them, the ones it doesn’t recognise are simply treated as spaces. Underscores fall into the category of characters they do recognise. Therefore, if you have something like Dog_Food in your URL, Google will treat that as all one word, which means there’s no way that URL is coming up as a result in a Google search unless someone actually types in ‘Dog_Food.’ How many times a day do you imagine that happens?

If you have Dog-Food in your URL Google recognises that phrase as simply ‘Dog Food,’ which means that the term is eligible to come up for a whole range of searches, like ‘Dog,’ ‘Food,’ and even stuff like ‘Food for my Dog.’

When you look at it like this, a small detail like using one piece of punctuation instead of another starts to seem very important indeed, doesn’t it?

Clothing giant ASOS redesigns homepage

James Oliver — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 10:39:12 +0000

For years now online clothing outlet, ASOS has cornered the market in high-end fashions available over the Internet. The company offers clothing and outfits inspired by cutting-edge designers and individual celebrity styles. Their high-brow approach to fashion has always extended to their website as well – they’ve been held up as a paragon of best practice by industry experts and competitors alike for years now. This is why today’s site redesign is sure to be viewed with interest by many.

The functionality of the ASOS site was always excellent and this remains the same. Fans of the website will be relieved to hear that most of the changes appear to be largely cosmetic, basically aimed at a freshening up of the look and feel.

SEOCO Review

Admin — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 08:21:08 +0000

The SEO Company or SEOCO is a search engine optimisation company on the internet. They work with website optimisation, link baiting, social media marketing, and link building. SEO Company has been in business since 2006. Since we are about to roll into 2009 that is only 3 years in which they have had a business. However, you do learn that the company personnel has 5 years experience overall. Five years is not a long time either, until you consider how long the internet has really been around. Internet was not popularised until the mid 1990’s, which means five years is pretty decent for knowing about the business.

In our review we did find the about, services, and contact information was offered up first. We like to know where this information is without hunting for it because it is imperative to any decision you make about search engine optimisation advertising and marketing.

SEO Company is a bare bones site for the imagination. The information is displayed without any cute icons or pay per click ads to draw your attention away from the information. This is quite pleasing, but it could also be a downfall. Marketing and web design needs imagination, and many companies like to see that imagination on a company website.

Their menus, links, and information are all top of the line. It is easy to read, without grammar or spelling errors. They also offer the information in a step by step look to help you see what is most important in a topic.

The SEO Company website has most everything you would want. One thing we found missing is a newsletter. They don’t have a newsletter email to keep you up to date with new information. This means you have to keep checking their site. Overall the information and services provided will be everything you need for your website business, so don’t get distracted by the lack of things on the site.

How to succeed with SEO marketing

Admin — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 11:09:55 +0000

You have a business that’s new, or you have been around for years and you decide you want to get more proactive on the web. What do you do now? The answer is to use a powerful tool called search engine optimisation. If you are not sure what that means it is simply put the hottest way to increase your business online. The key is, get traffic to your website and achieve a high ranking so that you appear at the top of the search pile. Sites like Google, Yahoo and MSN all have rankings and if you are top ranked you will be at the top of a page when people are looking for a product or service.

The answers to why some results work are not definitive, but the experts at the search engine optimisation companies can get pretty close. Through their research and study of successful companies online the SEO marketing firms have a through knowledge of what will work most often.

Keywords are the words that will bring a potential customer to a website. If you deal in a specific product, this will be a little easier. If for instance you sell jewellery online, the keywords would all be related to some particular item as well as generalisations. Particular items such as diamond jewellery, diamond rings or diamond earrings would all be keywords that would direct a customer to a site. There are sites online that are devoted to giving you a quick look at different keywords that people use. Don’t be afraid of misspellings either, as not everyone types well and misspelled words are common.

If you have the knowledge of the most often used keywords you should see results. Try to remember that you may have a beautiful website design, but if no one can find you it won’t matter.

A Way to Measure your SEO Success

Admin — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 08:42:01 +0000

If you are asking yourself how to tell whether your search engine optimisation (SEO) strategy is working then you might want to continue reading. There are several ways you can view your website’s success, but there is really only a couple of ways that give you accurate readings. If you want more consumer base then consider what the leaders in the industry are doing.

You need to look at tactics, auditing, search engine marketing, and the advertising budget you have. For example, with auditing you are going through your website to see how many people actually bought something on your site and the average amount that they spent. You also need to do a search for the keywords these individuals used to get to your site.

Most websites can improve their search engine optimisation tactics just by knowing what works and making it work even better. You don’t want to change your tactics too much and lose what is working though. To measure your success in SEO options you need to consider several things. When you do a search for your website can you find it on the top 10 Google results? If you visit an information site about what you sell is there a link to your page? Should there be? These questions need to be asked to measure your success.

There are many companies that can help you answer these questions, but first it is best to do a search like we described above to see if you need the help. Your page rank, site visitor log, and even your survey and newsletter options can tell you about your success. You can’t just look at the revenue you are bringing in and determine if that is your SEO success. Your way to understand your success is by the numbers.

SEO Insider Review

Admin — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 07:05:46 +0000

SEO Insider is your website for finding the best search engine optimisation tools and information; at least that is what we found when doing our review. As a website, SEO Insider offers information in a clear and precise manner. They have fun icons to go with their menu headings. Navigation on the site is top notch.

SEO Insider offers services like pay per click advertising campaigns, online marketing training, SEO tools, and memberships to gain entrance into their private community. The private community is a forum where the members get to ask questions, find answers, and generally talk about search engine market needs.

The website offers Corporate SEO, Budget SEO, and more than just PPC advertising. All you have to do is click on the category you want and learn about SEO Insider’s guarantee to you. In fact they have a step by step instruction regarding their product. For example under advertising, SEO Insider shows you pictures of what they offer as well as an explanation of what their package offers. Depending on where you want your ad to be placed on a page you may pay as little as 30 pounds per month and up to 85 pounds per month. The 85 pounds per month may be a little expensive, especially for a side bar banner.

One thing we noticed during our review was the lack of information about SEO Insider. We do not know how long they have been on the internet or how long they have been in advertising. This is a minor issue as we can plainly see they know what they are talking about. The homepage was also a little busy regarding the SEO Insider services, which made it slightly difficult to find exactly where to click. On the whole SEO Insider has a great site for both usefulness and information.

Getting Higher Rankings

Admin — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 11:45:20 +0000

SEO is a driving force in the internet industry. For those who don’t have a handle on it these tips may just be the best information you can learn. In a recent study we found there are two ways that a person might type in some keywords into a search engine. First you might have the search engine optimisation or SEO in which you design a site for a natural rank for search engine results. The second way is search engine marketing. In this method the website designer has bought keywords that will help increase their rankings.

To get higher rankings on your search engine it was found that you need to examine what the consumer may search for. Before buying keywords or even starting a site, it is essential to look at it from the consumer perspective. Once a web designer knows the most popular keywords it is easier to find out what might be best for optimisation. Google is just one of the search engines that offers a programme to purchase keywords from. They have a complete list and rank of the words one might type by.

All you have to do is type in your starting keyword and find what other words might apply. The thing to remember in getting higher rankings is to choose keywords for more than one purpose. For example you might think the higher numbers means the keyword is used more often, but when looking at the charts there are two numbers. One number means how much it is used by the website and the popularity of it, while the other number shows the search engine use. These numbers are usually pretty close together. However, they can vary which is why it is important you analyse the lists carefully in order to increase your rankings.

Don’t Buy Links

Admin — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 10:15:14 +0000

SEO when it first started had companies buying links, buying emails, and generally using practices we frown on today. You want to have inbound links from websites to your site for a good Page Rank from Google and other search engines. Unfortunately the creations of these links can be difficult. A lot of companies are still using the buy a page link option. Sometimes they have a good list with plenty of links that make sense to their content. Unfortunately most of these lists for sale will be the undesirable links when it comes to SEO.

When you purchase links you are hurting your page rank. You will hurt the ranking even more if you buy a list that has a lot of porn, Viagra, or other subjects. Google and the search engines want to see links that have meaning, over 1000 linked pages. You can certainly try a service that is supposed to match a blog content site to a web content site. However, even this is faulty. You may get keywords that appear in your content by purchasing these links, but wouldn’t it make more sense to get the link the correct way?

You don’t have to buy links to get the inbound links you need on your site. Instead you form relationships online with other sites. For example you may approach a site that has an encyclopaedia information style on birds. You sell products for birds. There is no competition, but both pages get more consumers and you know the link is decent. Plus it is free advertising for the search engine optimisation needs you have. The links that are set up this way will not get dinged by the search engine crawlers, where as if you buy links you could be doing detrimental damage to your website. Link purchasing is not needed for good SEO.

SEO Consult Review

Admin — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:11:42 +0000

In an attempt to steer you towards a search optimisation company that will work for you, we have examined SEO Consult’s website for their services. The website is straightforward and easy to use. Navigation is a breeze and everything you want to know is available and then some. Occasionally you might find a need to do a search or ask a question and SEO Consult is available for those needs. SEO Consult is a website optimisation company first and foremost. They have offices in Cheshire and London to help in creating the perfect website and marketing strategy for your company. They are known for their customer service, professional attitudes, and communication.

The first thing we noticed about the SEO Consult site was their ability to tell you about themselves and what they offer. This is imperative. They also share a few of their top client’s logos for references. The homepage has an enquiry form and you can also become a member of the site.

Everything you need is either on the homepage or in their menu listing regarding their articles and services. SEO Consult works in more than one country; in fact they offer their services to Germany and the US.

As we reviewed the site we worked hard to find negative points. This was very hard and we might sound a little picky. However, we did notice that there were no examples for us to take a look at for a step by step explanation of the services offered. The information was all there, but there were no graphics to show us what they had done before. You will also find that SEO Consult is not industry specific and therefore their information is for any industry rather than a narrowed point of view. Lastly they really want you to sign up for their RSS Feed and advertise that on almost every page. These little negatives are not much for their overall site and services, and we found SEO Consult is a company you will want to work with.

Just Searching Review

Admin — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 08:16:49 +0000

The information that you can find on the Just Searching website will give you some idea of what the company offers their clients. The range is far reaching and they provide a valuable service for strengthening your online presence. The company has pay per click advertising for your benefit or ways to increase your brand recognition with keywords and daily updates to your website. These various options will help to put you above your competition.

There are various ways to contact the team at Just Searching, such as by phone or online. You just put in your information and they will get back to you. One thing we did notice was that they don’t tell you how long it might take to answer your e-mail inquiry. The site has multiple menu items for you to peruse and they encompass things like services, search engine optimisation tools and news. They also have a place to inquire whether or not they are hiring. If you are looking for a position in the SEO industry you can find it with a click of the mouse. If you wanted to leave a comment when checking out a position though, the comment form wasn’t available. This was a small matter however, as the job description and qualifications needed were very thorough.

The one thing we were looking for and didn’t see was a way to benefit from affiliate marketing. We clicked on the menu frequently and didn’t see this as a possible marketing tool. The services that are offered should more than make up for this though. The experience this company offers and the companies that use their SEO ideas prove that the company is doing something right and will work hard for you. They want to present you to the world and they accomplish this in a very professional manner.

Chinese Search Engine scandal

Matt Thomas — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:48:05 +0000

Baidu, China’s leading internet search engine is in the process of drastically rethinking the way it does business in response to a scandal involving the advertising of questionable medical services. It appears that Baidu let a number of unlicensed medical companies buy sought after positions on its search platform, which hugely increased the number of people clicking on the links to useless, yet very expensive medical services.

Understandably the Chinese public are none too impressed with Baidu and the adverse reaction has dragged the company’s stock down sharply. In response Baidu CEO, Robin Lee, has promised swift decisive action and he would appear to be delivering, sacking several members of Baidu staff and implementing a process of double checking the licenses of all the medical institutions that they do business with.

According to Baidu the scandal was made possible by employees forging the proper documentation for the unlicensed medical practitioners and all staff found to be involved with this have now been dismissed.

This scandal notwithstanding, Baidu is still the main search engine in China by a long way. The company controls about two thirds of the Chinese market – by far the largest market in terms of people. Strange as this may seem to us, Google ranks a distant second.