An important aspect of Search Engine Optimization is making your website easy for both users and search engine robots to understand. Although search engines have become increasingly sophisticated, in many ways they still can't see and understand a web page the same way a human does. SEO helps the engines figure out what each page is about, and how it may be useful for users

1. New Web Dimension
www.newwebdimension.com

2.  Can be a powerful communication tool along
with traditional print & broadcast media
 Used to promote or sell products & services, or
to inform target audiences
 Sites are only beneficial if the audience is aware
of it or can easily find it
 About 50% of browsers use search engines, the other
half type in the URL directly

3.  “Organic” search engine listings
 Free listings provided by Google, Yahoo!, MSN
 Utilize “spider” or “crawler” to index page content
 Search directory listings
 Doesn’t use crawlers. Humans categorize and index
your site URL and a short description
 Yahoo! is fee-based, Open Directory Project is free
 Paid listings
 Called “pay-per-click” campaigns
 Buy your way to the top of the search results page
 Unlike organic, results are guaranteed

4.  Recommendation is
to follow a diversified
approach by using a
combination of all
three areas for the
best results.
 This is known as
Search Engine
Marketing (SEM)

5.  No guarantees with search engines
 Best practices and guidelines will help
 There are no specific details since they could be
exploited
 The process of analyzing and making changes
to a website to improve search rankings is
called Search Engine Optimization, or SEO.

6.  Consider search
engines design
BEFORE building
site.
 But remember, a
website is intended
for HUMAN
audiences, not search
engines.

7.  Research & select keywords/phrases
 What people type into engines
 One study shows 56% of searchers use 2-3 word
keyword phrases
 Keyword research tools:
 Log analyzer software (e.g. Web Trends)
 WordTracker.com (paid)
 Overture.com (free)
 Google Ad Words (free with account)
 Place keywords prominently in page copy,
titles, <META> description tags.

8.  Design a user-friendly site that is searchable
• Use with caution: JavaScript, flash, DHTML, frames,
cookies, session IDs, more than 3 URL parameters
• Always have 2 forms of navigation: user and search engine
• Avoid excessive URL depth: more than 3 to 4 levels
• Tailor search terms and web pages for your audience
• Site should have: Home, FAQ/Help, About Us, Contact Us,
Site Map, Links/Resources, Products/Services (when
appropriate)
• Each page needs a unique, focused title relevant to the
content and incorporates keywords. Don’t use company
name.
• Get links to your site on other RELEVANT sites.

9.  Do NOT spam the search engines or you could
be banned!
• Keyword stacking or stuffing, unrelated keywords
• Hidden text and links, tiny text (under 10pt)
• Duplicating pages and sites (same content, different URLs)
• Doorway/Gateway/Ghost pages – overly optimized, well-
ranked pages that redirect to “real” site.
• Page redirects (with Refresh Meta tag)
• “Link farms” used to increase link popularity scores

10.  Before search engines, Yahoo! search directory
was the only game in town
 A “directory” differs from an “engine” in that
it doesn’t index web pages or content.
 Human editors review submitted site & put it
in a category/subcategory structure
 Only the URL and short description is recorded
 Yahoo! is $300/year, Open Directory Project is
free (ODP feeds Google).

11.  Choose a very
specific category and
subcategory in the
directory
 Locate your
competitors in the
directory
 Register with
“second tier”
directories. They
offer specialty or
niche listings.

12.  With pay-per-click (PPC), you pay each time
someone clicks on your ads
 Two major (& most expensive) players are
Overture (owned by Yahoo!) and Google Ad
Words
 Smaller players are Find What, Espotting
 Start an account w/credit card, create word ad,
bid on ad keywords in auction
 Lots of ads? Mgmt tools available

13.  Calculate what a “click” is worth to your
company before PPC campaign
 Be aware: about 20% of browsers don’t trust
ads and won’t click on them
 Review & follow PPC guidelines
 Do not use superlatives (such as greatest, largest,
best, etc.), all capital letters, or exclamation points.
 Do not put contact information such as phone
numbers or e-mail addresses in the add
 Make sure the ad matches the site content.

15.  Search engine syntax and extras
 “site: www.yoursite.com”. Shows what the engine
has in the index for the site.
 “define: your word”. Searches web for definitions.
 Built-in calculator. Type in your calculation on the
search bar and press Enter. (e.g. 7*25+33)
 Package tracker. Enter your package tracking
number (FedEx, UPS, USPS) for a status.
 Stock price check. Enter stock symbol.
 Street maps. Type in US address w/ city or zip.

16.  Search engine guidelines
 Google: http://www.google.com/webmasters/guidelines.html
 Yahoo!: http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/ysearch/basics/basics-18.html
 MSN: http://search.msn.com/docs/siteowner.aspx?
t=SEARCH_WEBMASTER_REF_GuidelinesforOptimizingSite.htm
 Search Engine Watch – tips, articles, news
 http://www.searchenginewatch.com/