Search Engine 101: An Introduction to Search Engine Optimization

Paid Vs. Organic Search Results According to Nielson / Net Ratings, 46% of Web sites are found through search, and 55% of all online purchases result from Web sites found through search engines. Savvy SEO professionals think about content creation as writing for this audience . Paid Search Results (sponsored) Organic Search Results (natural)

For More Information on Paid Search… http://adwords.google.com/select/Login http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com/index.php

How Do Search Engines Work? Search engines collect all of the words on each web page taking note of Where they are placed on the page and How they are formatted The engines don’t think, they simply use pattern matching and scoring attributes Search engines look at all of the pages on the web and take note of How they are connected The themes running through them

Search engines collect all of the words on each web page taking note of

Where they are placed on the page and

How they are formatted

The engines don’t think, they simply use pattern matching and scoring attributes

Search engines look at all of the pages on the web and take note of

How they are connected

The themes running through them

On Page Influencers of Search Results Page Title The single most important element on a web page for SEO Each page should have an unique title Description Meta tags May appear in the search results snippet Should utilize important keywords Each page should have an unique description Header tags Provide additional information to the search engine of what the page is about Content Must include keywords The first 250 words are the most important

Page Title

The single most important element on a web page for SEO

Each page should have an unique title

Description Meta tags

May appear in the search results snippet

Should utilize important keywords

Each page should have an unique description

Header tags

Provide additional information to the search engine of what the page is about

Content

Must include keywords

The first 250 words are the most important

The Importance of Page Titles Page Title

The Importance of Page Titles This is how page titles appear in search results Does this search result inspire your confidence that this website will meet your needs? Compare this result to this one. Which one better meets your request as a searcher?

The Importance of Description Tags Compare this description to this one. Which one better describes what you are looking for? Does this description inspire your confidence that this website will meet your needs?

The Importance of Header Tags Header tags help the search engines understand what the page is about much like a headline in a newspaper. Header tags also help tie the page content to the page title.

Header tags help the search engines understand what the page is about much like a headline in a newspaper.

Header tags also help tie the page content to the page title.

Content - Writing Tips for Search Do your keyword research. Think like your audience and be specific. Look at each page in your site — what words do you think are relevant for each page? Now look again at the pages — are you actually using these words? Try searching your own site for these words. If you can't find them, search engines won't. Choose one keyword phrase that is targeted for each page Include each keyword phrase three to four times each within your copy — more if it makes sense. If your text sounds “awkward” to you, slice your keyword phrase usage. Use the exact term — “small business accounting software” is not the same as “accounting software for small business.”. The first 250 words on a page are the most important. Search engines prefer body text that contains 300 to 500 words per page. The longer the better opportunity for keyword placement that sounds good — your text always needs to sound natural.

Do your keyword research. Think like your audience and be specific.

Look at each page in your site — what words do you think are relevant for each page? Now look again at the pages — are you actually using these words?

Try searching your own site for these words. If you can't find them, search engines won't.

Choose one keyword phrase that is targeted for each page

Include each keyword phrase three to four times each within your copy — more if it makes sense. If your text sounds “awkward” to you, slice your keyword phrase usage.

Use the exact term — “small business accounting software” is not the same as “accounting software for small business.”.

The first 250 words on a page are the most important. Search engines prefer body text that contains 300 to 500 words per page. The longer the better opportunity for keyword placement that sounds good — your text always needs to sound natural.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Levers SEO Basics = On Page Factors Title Tag Description Tag Keywords in Body Heading Tags + Avoid Unethical SEO Hidden Text Duplicate Content Link Farms + Keyword Research Search volume Competitiveness Relativity + Link Building Navigation Internal External

On Page Factors

Title Tag

Description Tag

Keywords in Body

Heading Tags

Avoid Unethical

SEO

Hidden Text

Duplicate Content

Link Farms

Keyword Research

Search volume

Competitiveness

Relativity

Link Building

Navigation

Internal

External

To Learn More Search Engine Optimization Blogs www.seomoz.org www.searchengineland.com www.searchenginewatch.com Books Moran, M. and Hunt, B. (2008) Search Engine Marketing, Inc.: Driving Search Traffic to Your Company's Web Site (2d Edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: IBM Press.

Search Engine Optimization Blogs

www.seomoz.org

www.searchengineland.com

www.searchenginewatch.com

Books

Moran, M. and Hunt, B. (2008) Search Engine Marketing, Inc.: Driving Search Traffic to Your Company's Web Site (2d Edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: IBM Press.