November 21st, 2008

Truth 1. Getting noticed by spiders, robots, and crawlers

Spiders, robots, and crawlers are your friends. In the name of search engine optimization, you’ll not only learn to love them, but you’ll actually go out of your way to attract them to your site.

In SEO, spiders, robots, and crawlers are more or less synonymous, but don’t worry unduly—none have legs or feelers. So, let’s consolidate and just use the term “crawler,” shall we? Just bear in mind that you’ll sometimes want to attract robots, or lace your site with “spider bait.” All belong to the same principle.

Create a sitemap

One very basic way to help out the search engine crawlers is by creating a sitemap. A sitemap is a file (often in XML—Extensible Markup Language) that provides the crawler with a listing of all URLs on the site—at least the ones the site creator wants the crawler to see. Additional information about individual URLs can also be contained in the sitemap, such as when a given page was most recently updated, how often it changes, and how important each URL on the site is relative to the other URLs (a homepage is usually more important than a “Contact Us” page, for example).

All of the sites that Pathway Solutons builds include a google friendly dynamically created site map

http://itpws.com/sitemap.xml

Truth 2. Learn to do the Google dance

Until just a few years ago, Google changed its ranking algorithm every month or so. The ranking algorithm is what many SEOs live and die by—it’s the complex, top-secret formula that determines how high (or low) a site or web page ranks in organic search results.Therein lie two critical lessons (maybe we can even call them sub-truths), as follows:

• #1. Organic search engine traffic can be so valuable, it can sustain an entire business.

• #2. Organic search rankings are something you can work to influence, but ultimately you do not control them. The search engines’ algorithms make that call.

Pathway Solutions works with you to get your site optimized so you have the best organic results possible for the search terms that we work together to create.

SEO and public relations

SEO is a lot like public relations in that sense. You can talk to the media, carefully craft your messaging and delivery, send out press releases, and otherwise be present, ready, willing, and able to share information.  SEO is a team effort and we need your input to get your business to succeed online.

Paid advertising and Organic Optimization

Businesses that pay to advertise on search engines also spend a great deal of time, attention, and money on search engine optimization. They understand this balance of trust and legitimacy. Paid search engine advertising may be a guarantee of placement, but organic results—while often varying in position within the results—can deliver as much (if not significantly more) value on the investment in SEO than the ads do on media spend.

Pathway Solutions works with companies such as Reach Local to get you the results of paid advertising and the traffic from Organic traffic.

Raising and Falling Search Engine Results

At the end of the day, search engines reward sites with strong, relevant, fresh, frequently updated content, well-structured site architecture, and an intelligent link structure, with strong organic rankings.

There is no magic bullet or guaranteed results with any marketing that is promoted.  Pathway Solutions goes the extra mile to help you put together the most cost effective result oriented campaign possible.

Quality Traffic is better than Quantity traffic.

More visitors to your website somehow meant you were doing great—even if you weren’t making money, or even if those visitors left after viewing just one page on your entire website.  The ultimate goal is to meet, if not to exceed, searchers’ expectations so that they’ll stick around a while, and so that they’ll buy, or register, or subscribe, or any of the myriad other potential objectives a site owner might have.

To accomplish this you must have relevant content and a call to action on your pages

SEO is a never ending process

This is NOT a set it and forget it process.  Your site is becoming an intricate part of your business and you need to treat your web site as the online entry way to your business. This means that sometimes you need to dust and arrange the lobby and clean up or upgrade your offerings.   As with a brick and mortar building it takes maintenance and an eye from your customers prospective to keep a fresh look to what your business offers.

SEO Basic Training Part 2 of 4

Posted in Business, Web | No Comments »