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Common Advice in Search Engine Optimization

Art — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 12:39:15 +0000

Getting advice on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can sometimes seem like trying to get advice on, say, the stock market. Everybody is trying to leapfrog ahead of everyone else, and as a result you wonder if, in the end, anyone actually knows what they’re talking about.

This is a fair objection. The truth, though, is that there are some fundamental principles that most experts agree on. The reason that they work is simply that not everyone tries to make their pages more easily findable by Google. Some web site owners simply assume that all they have to do is put their page up, and Google will automatically pick it up.

This much is accurate: they will. If you don’t want to be on page 17 of their listings, however, then you need to do a few things to put you ahead of the people who are making no effort at all. These are basic rules that anyone can easily follow.

Keywords are your best friend

There is a larger truth about search engines that is so obvious that is seems unfathomable that more people don’t intuitively realize it: search engines can only search through text. This means that you need the text on your web site as relevant as possible.

Take care, therefore, to make sure that key phrases that you think people who would want to come to your site would search for are somewhere in the text of your web pages, word for word. These are known as “keywords.” For example, if you are selling “Victorian wall ornaments,” those are your keywords, and you need them used on your site in multiple places, especially your front page.

A warning, though: don’t go crazy. In the past people created pages that had thousands of words consisting of nothing but keywords in invisible text. Search engines are now trained to filter out these pages. Use your keywords only in the appropriate context, but don’t be afraid to use it multiple times. Make sure as well that you throw in a few synonym phrases (“Victorian ornaments”, “Victorian decorations”, etc.)

Links are your next best friend

Search engines catalog links as much as they do basic text. Make sure that there are plenty of links on your site, optimally ones that contain in their URLs the terms that people are searching for. Other good ways of adding links that users might find are by setting up external sites that link to yours, as well as getting into link exchange programs with the appropriate types of partners.

Don’t forget social networking

Most common social networking websites are business-friendly. Be sure to setup an account on each of these, and optimally, keep them at least moderately updated. This is one more route by which users can find you, and one more potential entry in a search engine’s top 10 results.

Keep up with the trends

Finally, don’t stop here. Since everyone is trying to game search engine results, search engines themselves constantly revamp their formula. Keep an ear to the ground on the latest trends, and remember that Google isn’t the only search engine out there. Search engine optimization is a job that never quite ends, but one that the dedicated web users can easily keep up with, and are well-served by the effort.

SEO 101 : Focusing on Backlinks

Art — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 19:31:56 +0000

When devising a strategy for SEO, many webmasters place a huge emphasis on the website itself. They are typically concerned with Meta tags, keyword density, titles and headings. While these aspects of SEO are important (especially with regards to content), they are insignificant when compared with links. SEO practitioners spend their time obsessing over link building while site owners ignore them completely.

Creating an Equilibrium

This is due to the fact that a website is a tangible object that can be seen many millions of visitors. On the other hand, links are a vague concept that does not have associated tools. Therefore, building backlinks is usually secondary. Luckily there are several tools that will create equilibrium of website design and SEO.

Google Webmaster Tools

The first key point to consider is not use search operators to check your links. This method will produce inaccurate results and is commonly regarded as being used for entertainment purposes. Instead, utilize Google Webmaster Tools which provide a wealth of information about what exactly Google knows about your website, how it performs in the search engine rankings and, recently added, +1 statistics.

Independent Tools

There are two additional competing independent tools outside of Google Webmaster Tools, SEOmoz’s Open Site Explorer (OSE) and Majestic SEO’s Site Explorer. If your run your website through both programs you will find that they conflict with one another. Ironically, neither agrees with Google Webmaster Tools either.

The Collection Process

Although all three programs work by crawling the web, they are programmed differently and discover different links. Each then filters the collected links and remove those they see as spamming or lack relevance. Unfortunately, the three programs follow different criteria to make a judgment. You will also notice the two independent tools provide limited functionality for the free versions.

Viewing Trends

In the free versions of all three programs you are given two numbers for your sites that will usually differ. Always keep in mind that none of these figures is the absolute number, which would be extremely difficult to determine. Instead these figures should be viewed as representing exactly how other sites link to you. When viewing trends over a long period of time the numbers will begin to paint a picture of how your site is doing.

These three webmaster tools were developed to be more of a guide for focusing on backlinking than a concrete answer. A great way to use these tools is generate a report from each on a monthly basis and chart their change over time. If you see the numbers are increasing then you are on your way to success.

Becoming a Domain Speculator with No Experience

Art — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 22:01:19 +0000

Domain speculation is defined as the process of judging the value of, buying, selling, and trading domain names. This has become an incredibly profitable industry that complements web hosting during the past couple of years, as individual business owners and companies have realized the continuously expanding opportunity presented by online real estate. Each year, thousands of entrepreneurs and local business owners decide to expand their operations into the World Wide Web to solicit more clients, and in doing so they must purchase at least one domain name. However, the majority of these people eventually purchase between five and 20 domain names on average. By becoming a domain speculator you can take advantage of this exponential growth and begin earning a profit with minimal experience.

Conducting Research

The first step in becoming a domain speculator is to conduct the necessary research, and the simplest and cheapest way to do this is to become a member of various Webmaster/Web hosting forums. These forums not only allow you to gather the pre-existing tips provided by experienced webmasters and domain speculators, they also allow you to interact with these individuals on a personal basis, giving you the ability to receive personalized answers to all of your curiosities. Fortunately, all of the information needed to learn how to judge the value of domain names can be found online for free. Alternatively, if your research endeavors are more time intensive and you would rather not expend the effort to find information from various sources, you could purchase a comprehensive guide or training system to expedite the process.

The Basics of Domain Name Value

There are three main factors to consider when judging the value of a domain name – memorability, profitability, and search engine optimization. First of all, the domain name should be memorable enough that site visitors will be able to accurately describe it to their friends or family, thereby increasing the daily traffic levels through word-of-mouth. In addition, the domain name should preferably pertain to a niche or keyword that is profitable, as these websites tend to sell for a higher price tag. Finally, domain names should contain search engine optimization attributes, such as exact match keywords, which will allow the site to instantly begin generating search engine traffic with minimal effort on behalf of the site owner. Websites that are recently expired and still have backlinks, page rank, and other search engine attributes are considered to be most valuable.

Buying and Selling Domain Names

There are three main ways to begin purchasing domain names – domain auctions, registering domains with registrars, and purchasing recently expired domains. While recently expired domains are usually the most profitable, they also tend to cost more than those that are registered with the registrar. Domain registrars offer popular TLDs (top level domains) such as .com, .org, and.net for only $10 per year of registration. Domain auction sites give you the most diverse selection, and most auctions include not only the domain name, but also attached website that contains pre-developed content and design.

How to Tell If a Domain Name Is Valuable

Art — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 21:23:51 +0000

Finding the right domain name for your website is a crucial aspect of beginning a successful online endeavor, regardless of the industry or niche you choose to pursue. The domain name is effectively your online brand, and is the name that your site visitors will remember when discussing your website with friends. Although the majority of excellent domain names have been registered already, there are still many available, and with the right techniques it is possible to find valuable domain names relatively easily. Unfortunately, the majority of novice webmasters choose domain names for all the wrong reasons. The following paragraphs describe the process of determining whether a domain name is actually valuable.

Keywords and SEO Attributes

The best way to find a domain name that carries intrinsic value is to look for names that contain popularly searched for keywords. These domains have the potential to generate web traffic instantly, with minimal effort required on behalf of the webmaster. Domain names that contain keywords are usually referred to as “exact match domains”, and are by far the most desirable. Exact match domains give webmasters the ability to instantly capitalize on organic search engine traffic, without having to perform all of the usual SEO tasks. Some domains that have recently expired also retain SEO attributes like backlinks and PageRank. Purchasing recently expired domains is also a good way to find valuable domains, as these domains were probably registered by webmasters for a specific reason.

Commerciality and Profitability

Another aspect to consider is the commerciality of the domain name. While finding exact match domains is a good first step, it wouldn’t make much sense if the keyword is not a “buying” keyword. In other words, some keywords are likely to be typed into a search engine when an individual is looking to purchase an item, while other keywords are more likely to be used when an individual is simply looking for free information. For example, the domain name “howtorideabike.com”would not be nearly as profitable as “qualitysportsbikes.com”, since the latter is quite obviously a keyword that an individual would use when they were looking to purchase a sports bike, and would therefore be capable of generating more advertising and sales revenue.

Memorability and Relevance

A domain name should also be memorable and relevant to the niche, as this will boost the return rates of site visitors. An alternative method to using exact match domains is to register a domain name that broadly covers the entire niche, so that the site can be populated with content that contains various keywords relative to that industry. This ultimately allows the webmaster to focus on a broader range of keywords and solicit more web traffic in the long-term. However, this method of domain registration usually requires more work on behalf of the webmaster, as they will have to put forth effort to establish the site as an authority site before it will rank effectively for a multitude of keywords.

How Dedicated Host Can Enhance Search Engine Optimization Results

Art — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 20:16:02 +0000

The obvious advantages of dedicated hosting are often cited by experienced webmasters when reverting to it as the ultimate hosting environment. A dedicated hosting plan lets you lease private web servers that are solely devoted to the tasks of your websites and online endeavors. Perhaps one of the most crucial aspects of building professional websites and a successful online business is SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Unfortunately, search engine optimization is an artform that can take months, if not years to perfect. Even experienced webmasters that have been optimizing their websites for search engines for years still have to remain vigilant and continuously monitor search engine trends and recently developed algorithms. If you are interested in the search engine optimization benefits of dedicated hosting, you may want to consider the following information.

Dedicated Automation Versus Human Outsourcing

The bulk of the work associated with search engine optimization involves performing simple yet repetitive tasks on a daily basis, in an effort to build a residual traffic flow and a portfolio of backlinks. Search engine optimization must be conducted gradually in order to appear natural, so link building automation must be performed on an ongoing basis in order to create a stable traffic flow. Unfortunately, webmasters that to try to manage multiple sites and perform these tasks continuously often find that the job is simply too time-consuming. Thus, there is a decision to make – use software to automate these processes, or pay human workers to complete them. Ultimately, when used properly, software is simply more effective and less expensive than outsourcing. In addition, the amount of tasks that can be performed by such software dwarf any human efforts that can occur within the same amount of time.

Dedicated Server Resources

Most search engine optimization automation software are capable of utilizing immense amount of server resources, depending on the amount of tasks that are being performed each day. For an online business owner and entrepreneur whose goal is to continually expand their network of websites and enhanced search engine optimization efforts, managing and maintaining multiple SEO campaigns simultaneously can be a difficult task. Fortunately, many search engine optimization programs are capable of running hundreds of threads simultaneously (each thread performs a different task), gradually posting links on a scheduled basis via various methods. Unlike shared and VPS hosting plans, which utilize load-balancing technologies to evenly distribute server requests across a network of servers, dedicated hosting transmits and receives information directly, thereby expediting automated tasks performed by the server. A comprehensive dedicated hosting plan can also handle more tasks than any other type of web hosting, due to the extensive server resources provided.

Flexibility and Freedom of Dedicated Hosting

Within the shared hosting environment it is not possible to change the configuration of the server. Therefore, you cannot install certain software, or change the operating system. Many dedicated hosting plans give you complete access to the root of the web server, where you can install any type of software or operating system you would like. This also gives you the ability to install multiple operating systems, thereby providing complete compatibility with all forms of software. Thus, by utilizing the dedicated hosting plan you can create a custom hosting environment that is highly efficient and completely compatible with all search engine optimization software.

The Advantages of Purchasing Used Domain Names

Art — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 20:33:17 +0000

Building a successful website is often a long and drawn out process that requires many steps, and a significant amount of diligence and persistence. Unfortunately, many of the attributes that make a website successful take a long time to create, especially those that are associated with search engine optimization. Every website online is represented by a domain name, which is often indexed in major search engines, having a history and authoritative stance of its own. By purchasing a used domain name you can take advantage of all of the work done by the previous site owner. The following information outlines the main benefits of purchasing used domain names for building your websites.

Page Rank and Domain Authority

Search engines use patented algorithms to efficiently gather, index, and rank information on the Internet. Google, in particular, utilizes a power stance system known as page rank, which gives each domain name a certain amount of authority based on a number of factors. One of the factors that affects a website’s page rank is the amount of links on the Internet that point to pages on the website, which are also known as backlinks, or incoming links. Many times, when a domain name is sold at auction or on an expired domain name vendor site, the domain name will still retain some of the backlinks and all of its page rank. By purchasing one of these domains, you can eliminate most of the work involved with establishing authority for your domain, which will allows you to rank highly in the SERPs (search engine result pages) for practically any term or keyword with less effort.

Established Reputations

Building your new website on a domain name that already has an established reputation may create an instant flow of traffic from previous website visitors that are returning in hopes of finding the website they last visited. Even though these visitors are expecting to see a completely different website, if your new site is relevant to the same niche or topic that the previous successful site that utilized that domain name was relevant to, it is possible to instantly build a small amount of residual traffic based on the success of the previous site. The previous site may have also caused the domain name to rank well for popular key words or phrases, which can bring instant traffic to your site via the search engines. Since your domain name will essentially be the brand of your website, purchasing a used domain name that already has an established reputation is the best way to quickly build a popular brand for your new site.

Obtainable Experience

Used domain names give you the opportunity to instantly obtain experience in the eyes of your site visitors and the search engines, without putting forth a lot of effort or taking a lot of risks. Surprisingly, it is possible to find used domain names for as little as $20, with the average used domain name being sold for anywhere between $20-$100. Purchasing a well-established .com domain name that has been used for successful website for the past several years can give your website an instant boost in traffic and overall popularity.

Search Engine Optimization with No Investment Needed

Art — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 20:01:19 +0000

One of the most intimidating aspects of becoming a successful web site owner is the fear of having to invest money in projects that you’re unsure about. Understandably, most novice webmaster are not confident in their ability to make money with their sites by ranking highly in the search engines, and as such often resort to investing exuberant amounts of money into search engine optimization campaigns that are managed and executed by professionals. Sadly, the majority of these campaigns do not offer true success, and the webmaster is left to handle their SEO campaign independently using skills they’ve acquired online.

Most of the tasks involved with SEO are mundane and repetitive so outsourcing is a common issue that webmasters have to deal with. The following information can help you rank highly in the search engines without spending money o outsourcing and professional SEO specialists.

High Quality Backlinks

Building backlinks is perhaps the central component of raising your sites authority and being able to rank highly for any keyword you’d like. A backlink is any link on the web that points to your site, or a page on your site. The more backlinks your site has on the internet, the more popular and useful it appears to be from the perspective of a search engine algorithm. Most people focus on building thousands of backlinks in a short amount of time, often with automated softwares, only to find that their site has been ‘sandboxed’ and is no longer even ranked for their desired keywords. Not only does this cost money (either for investing in software or outsourced link building) it is also usually less effective than building fewer, more authoritative backlinks over a longer period of time. Instead of paying people to build lots of backlinks for you, focus on the more powerful backlinks such as those posted in the profile pages or blog pages of high PR sites.

On Page Optimization

Many people overlook the importance of on page optimization, which consists of keeping the site updated with quality content and creating an efficient outgoing link structure the does not compromise the PR of your pages. Adequate site navigation is also a very important aspect of on page optimization. Every page should contain links that point to another part of your web site, ideally using anchor text to denote the topic of the content in the navigational link. This will not only help search engines index your site more efficiently, it will also simplify the browsing experience for your site visitors. Other aspects of on page optimization include keyword placement/density, ad placement, and proper script usage. Unless you pay a content developer to handle these tasks for you, they are easy to perform and completely free.

Building Niche Partnerships

Another free way to enhance your SEO campaign and raise the amount of daily traffic your site receives is to begin building partnerships with other webmasters in your respective niche. Doing this will not only give you additional backlinking opportunities from related web sites, it will also bring an influx of traffic form these sites to yours on a daily basis, ultimately resulting in increased sales/conversions in the long term. Most sites have contact forms and/or ‘contact us’ pages that will help you get in touch with the webmaster and build a working relationship that can benefit both of your web sites.

How Anchor Text is Used in Search Engine Optimization

Art — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 20:00:58 +0000

Search engine optimization is perhaps one of the most complex ever-changing fields in internet technology, and is primarily responsible for the growth of the most successful web sites online. Although it may not be fun having to learn the extensive knowledge required to become a good SEO expert, the fact remains that good SEO is the best way to receive residual web traffic with as little effort as possible. Unfortunately, a lot of people are in the dark about even the simplest search engine optimization techniques. One of the most overlooked aspects of SEO in regards to keyword optimization and backlink building is the use of anchor text. The following information describes how anchor text is used in search engine optimization, and how it is vital towards any SEO campaign.

What is Anchor Text?

Anchor text is simply the text used to represent a hyperlink. Anchor text is used to make links more attractive and to make it easier for the search engine to index backlinks in relation to specific keywords. A hyperlink that contains an entire lengthy web address would be much less likely to be clicked then a simple word that pertains to a subject that the reader is interested in. Anchor text is created by the page author and is a basic aspect of web design. Studies have shown that readers are far more likely to click on a link that contains anchor text because the link is more aesthetically pleasing and appears to be less ‘spammy’. By using anchor text you’re not only making it convenient for your site visitors to find the information they need, you’re also making it easier for the search engines to index the pages that you’re linking to.

Effective Backlink Indexing

When a search engine spider, crawler or bot (whichever you prefer) indexes a web page it combs through all of the outgoing links on that page. Depending on the structure of the link, the search engine bot will then index the pages that the links lead to. Before following a link to a specific page the search engine bot will read the anchor text to see if it pertains to the content on the target web page. For example, a link that reads “ boat anchors” would indicate to the search engine that the following page is going to pertain to boat anchors. If the page does not pertain to the anchor text then it is likely that the page will receive a lower search engine ranking. The proper use of anchor text ensures that search engines are indexing your pages and ranking them highly for your targeted keywords.

Anchor Text Tips

Because of the aforementioned reasons it is best to use anchor text to lead visitors to pages that are relevant to the chosen text. Every link that points back to your site is backlink, and if it contains relevant anchor text then it is much more likely to have a positive effect on your search engine ranking. If you want a specific page to rank highly for a particular keyword then you need to build as many backlinks as you can that contain anchor text with the chosen keywords included.

Search Engine Optimization – Link Building the Fast Way

Art — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 19:46:22 +0000

Link building is undoubtedly one of the central aspects of search engine optimization, if not thew single most important aspect. The process of link building is defined as generating backlinks for your site through various methods including social bookmarking, web 2.0 blogs, and providing quality content that is worthy of being linked to. There is a lot of confusion surrounding link building and SEO, particularly in regards to whether it should be done using software or manual methods. In actuality, a mixture of manual and automated techniques should be utilized to maximize productivity and avoid appearing to be a robot in the eye’s of the search engines. Although abnormally hasty link building is discouraged in the SEO community, there are ways to build links fast without being penalized by Google and other search engines.

Diversification

Diversification is absolutely necessary when building links quickly, because search engines tend to disregard links when there are a lot of them coming from the same site. The best way to diversify your link building structure is to build what are known as link wheels, which link a network of sites in a related niche together to bring page rank to the main site that is linked to by all of the pages. The easiest way to do this without purchasing a lot of sites is to use free web 2.0 properties like blogs, many of which already have a significant amount of PR themselves. Another way to diversify your link structure is to engage in “deep” link building, which establishes backlinks to every page on your site, rather than just the home page.

Outsourcing vs Automation

This is a heated debate in the field of SEO, however experienced webmasters know that automation can be just as good as outsourcing when used correctly. Every task on the internet can be automated via pre-programmed macros and scripts that remove the hassle of performing mundane repetitive tasks on a daily basis. Paying someone to do these takes would not make sense when you could hire a programmer to create a macro that will easily replace that employee with a one-time investment. The only tasks involved with SEO that require outsourcing are writing and web design, however some people even use scripts to spin content from other sites and still rank nicely in the search engines.

Consistency

If you want to get the most out of to your SEO campaign then you need to be consistent, but not to consistent as to arise suspicion in search engine algorithms. Search engines are designed to detect fraudulent and spam-like activity, so it is important to maintain a reasonable amount of backlinks each day without going overboard. Although consistency is important when building backlinks, quickly, it is not nearly as imperative as diversification, as search engines are forgiving of massive amounts of links as long as the page content is worthy and the links originate from diverse and unique sources. For example, a viral video on a page about a recent news trend could easily receive thousands of backlinks overnight form tons of blogs around the internet without being penalized by Google. If your site is relatively new and does not yet have the daily traffic to substantiate that kind of link building, then search engines may become suspicious.

SEO Web Hosting vs Dedicated Web Hosting

Art — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 06:00:56 +0000

Web site owners that make their living online are constantly looking for new ways to expand and create more revenue streams. However, there are always limitations and boundaries to overcome, especially pertaining to web hosting and search engine optimization. Learning the two aforementioned aspects of online business is perhaps he most crucial part of being a webmaster, as it directly affects the way your site performs and how high it ranks in the search engines.

Figuring out how to reach the top of the search engines and then perfect this and do it repeatedly is not for the faint of heart, and it requires a perfect web hosting plan (or several plans) and the right knowledge in SEO. If you have reached a point in your online career in which you would like to move forward and diversify then consider the following information.

SEO Web Hosting for Multiple Sites

SEO web hosting is relatively new, so many people do not understand what it is used for and why it is so important. SEO web hosting places a strong emphasis on the amount of IP address given to each hosting account. This is important in search engine optimization because search engines can see the IP address of your web site. This means you cannot have a strong backlinking network within the same niche without more than one IP address, because the search engines will view all of your sites as the same entity. Backlinks get you higher search engine rankings, and with more IP addresses you can create a network of sites in different niches that are providing link “juice” to each other.

Dedicated Hosting for Multiple Sites

Dedicated web hosting also comes with multiple IP addresses in many case,s however the number is usually along the lines of four or eight, whereas SEO web hosting can provide 50 or more C class IP address to each customer. In order to get access to this many IP addresses for your web sites with dedicated hosting you would need to provide justification, which means you’d have to give the web hosting company a reason for requesting more IP addresses. It is possible to receive justification with a dedicated hosting plan, and gain access to IP addresses at a cheaper rate than SEO web hosting.

Conclusion

Having access to multiple IP addresses is only important if you plan on operating network of sites that are used to transfer search engine optimization benefits to each other through internal and external linking. If you are going two options; either buy an SEO hosting plan that includes an adequate amount of C class IP addresses, or you can purchase a dedicated hosting plan and provide justification. If you decide to purchase a dedicated hosting plan and provide justification then you will receive access to the IP address for a lower rate and you will have access to a more powerful web server.

Web Hosting Geeks' Blog » backlinks

Common Advice in Search Engine Optimization

Related posts:

SEO 101 : Focusing on Backlinks

Related posts:

Becoming a Domain Speculator with No Experience

Related posts:

How to Tell If a Domain Name Is Valuable

Related posts:

How Dedicated Host Can Enhance Search Engine Optimization Results

Related posts:

The Advantages of Purchasing Used Domain Names

Related posts:

Search Engine Optimization with No Investment Needed

Related posts:

How Anchor Text is Used in Search Engine Optimization

Related posts:

Search Engine Optimization – Link Building the Fast Way

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SEO Web Hosting vs Dedicated Web Hosting

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