The
Importance of
Fresh Content:
Search Engine
Optimization 101
The Laws of
Attracting
Search Robots
and Spiders
Improving site
rankings with
search engines
may take
patience but
should not be a
daunting task.
In order to
understand the
inner workings
of search
engines, we need
to enter the
fascinating
world of search
agents often
described as
robots, spiders
or web crawlers.
These agents
have the
critical task of
finding new
sites or pages
and indexing
them according
to their
importance and
relevance within
search engine
listings. Search
engine
optimization (SEO)
can be achieved
in many ways,
the most popular
of which are
through organic
search campaigns
and
pay-per-click
listings.
An organic
search campaign
focuses on
refining site
content and
structure such
as page titles,
headings, body
text and links
to invite visits
from search
robots. These
techniques are
relatively cost
efficient but
require a long
term commitment
to improve
rankings over
time.
Pay-per-click
advertising
offers immediate
listing
placements but
can be costly
depending on the
ad position and
search word.
Depending on
your budget, a
combination of
campaigns may be
the best
approach. Red
Dog Software,
for example,
employs both
organic methods
and paid
placements with
major search
engines to
ensure SEO for
its corporate
site.
When building a
new site, it is
prudent to
consider the
basic principles
of search
outlined in this
article to set
your site on the
path of SEO. If
you have been
wondering why
your existing
site is not
being picked up
by search
engines or your
listing remains
buried, it is
high time to
review your SEO
strategy. Basic
practices of SEO
can easily be
implemented by
ReadyPortal
administrators
and do not
require specific
technical
expertise. For
more complex
campaigns such
as creating an
XML file for
your site map or
if you're
competing in an
extremely
crowded market,
you may wish to
consider hiring
a reputable SEO
consultant to
support your
optimization
efforts.
Whether you
decide to
organically grow
your credibility
with search
engines or would
rather opt to
pay for
placement, the
first critical
step in SEO is
to identify
search words,
terms or phrases
that are
targeted,
relevant and
unique to your
business.
In Search of
Winning
Descriptive
Keywords, Terms
and Phrases
The starting
point for any
SEO project is
to understand
the key search
words, terms,
and phrases your
target audience
will most likely
use when
searching for
your company and
products or a
business like
yours. Research
your industry,
talk to your
target customers
and review the
search phrases
your competitors
are using.
Particular
search words or
terms may be
saturated, in
which case a
better way may
be to find
alternate unique
search terms
that are
untapped. Keep
in mind that the
search phrases
you decide on
will need to
coincide with
the page you are
optimizing. Once
you have
compiled your
key search
phrases, the
next step is
placement.
Before Google
claimed its
domination over
the search
world, cramming
keywords into
your Meta Tags
was enough to
get your site
listed. This is
no longer the
case. Meta Tags
comprise three
components — the
title tag,
description tag
and keyword tag.
The title tag
remains one of
the most
important
elements to
secure good
rankings.
Descriptive and
keyword tags are
no longer as
critical.
Following
Google's lead,
most search
engines place
higher
importance on
relevant body
text as a
primary
methodology for
search rankings.
Points to note
about Meta Tags:
Optimize each
site page with
related search
words or phrases
within your
title tag.
Ensure each page
has its own
unique title.
ReadyPortal
makes this
process seamless
by capturing the
title section of
the page as the
default title
tag.
Alternatively,
ReadyPortal
users can
customize their
sites' Meta Tags
at every level
as needed.
Search terms
should be
descriptive, yet
relevant. Less
is more when
optimizing.
There's no
reason to leave
out description
and keyword tags
despite its
diminished value
with leading
search engines
as these tags
may influence
other smaller
search engines.
How to Invite
Spiders and
Robots to
Improve Rankings
With the right
search phrases,
spiders will at
least be able to
find your site.
The next step is
to make sure
these agents
visit often and
find content
significant
enough to
improve your
rankings. It is
important to
remember that
search robots
are blind and it
is our
responsibility
to make our site
pages accessible
and guide them
through their
crawl. Search
phrases alone
are not enough
to convince
these robots
that your page
or site deserve
a higher rating.
Site content and
links play a
crucial role in
SEO.
1. Relevant
Content,
Readable
Content, Fresh
Content
There is no
substitute for
good content to
achieve
consistent high
rankings. Think
of it this way,
if your content
does not bring
return visitors,
spiders will not
be interested
either. Your
site text needs
to be “good” in
3 ways:
Search title
phrases need to
be relevant to
body text. Use
search terms in
your copy as
often as
possible.
Content has to
be readable and
free from
spelling and
grammatical
errors.
Update your site
content
regularly as
spiders do not
like stagnant
pages. An
example of a way
to infuse fresh
content to your
site is to add a
news or RSS feed
that corresponds
to your search
phrases.
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