SEO with Google

Another note to self for SEO with Google.

Why Google?
Google accounted 63% of the searches conducted. (for ref. followed by Yahoo 21%;MSN 8.5%; AOL 3.9%; Ask 3.6%.

Why Not just Pay Per click?

• 72% more likely to click on natural listing rather than pay-per-click
• natural is more relevant and cost-effective

What's Organic SEO?
It refers to optimizing website to appear higher in search engine's natural listings.
It involves in optimizing the followings:

• Keywords
• Meta data
• Content
• Inward links
• Header tags
• Alt tags
• Internal links
• Website structure
• Website theme
• Website code

Useful SEO Tools:

• http://www.seochat.com/seo-tools/multiple-datacenter-keyword-position - Check for different ranking in different data centers.

Cautions:

• There are white/black (ethical/unethical) hat SEO
• Aim for white hat SEO - lead to long term benefit
• Avoid Black Hat - benefits no one and could lead to penalization / blacklist.

Google Toolbar:
How to use backward link checker from google toolbar?
With Google Toolbar installed.

1. Right click on a page, select 'Page Info' > 'Backward Links'

Tips using Google Tool Bars' Backward link checker:

• See who links to your website
• Assess the link's quality
• Find out competitors
• See who links to competitor website
• Source new links for website

How to use Cached Pages checker from google toolbar?

1. Right click on a page, select 'Page Info' > 'Cached Snapshot of Pages'

Get Google Account to get the following services:

• Google Product Search
• AdWords
• AdSense
• Sitemaps
• google Alerts
• Google Groups
• Analytics
• Personalized Search

Get Google Webmaster Tools (req. upload and verify XML sitemap) to get the following services:

• General website overview
• Googlebot website view
• Sitemap checker
• Crawl analyzer and statistics
• Top search queries
• Site indexing statistics
• Linking analysis
• Robots.txt creation and analysis tools
• 404 pages enhancement tools

Google Sitemaps' uses:

• Identify problem areas of your website
• Understand Google's view of your site
• Diagnose potential problems with your website
• See how Google crawls and indexes your website
• Monitor performance of your website
• Learn what search phrases bring traffic to your website
• Share information with Google to help it better index your website

Google analytic' uses:

• Indicate what visitors are doing on your website
  

Web CEO:
Get it from http://www.webceo.com

• offer free training program to allows for advance optimization skills
• Keyword research
• SEO
• Link popularity analyzer
  
• PPC campaigns manager
• Ranking checker
• Web analytics
  

Other tools:
Wordtracker - look for basic keyword tool to get an idea of keywords to target
Google Keyword Tool - similar to wordtracker

Tips on Keywords
Use multiple keywords - WHY?

• less competition
• more relevant website
• better chances of higher search rank.

Choose keywords by using tools like Wordtracker Keyword tool or Google Keyword Tool.

Resist the temptation of choosing keywords with highest number of searches. Focus on search phrases that are relevant instead!

Don't copy competitor's keywords - WHY?

• more competition
• Unknown effectiveness of keywords
• Missing out on more effective keywords
• Lack of relevance to your website theme

Don't Use Stop words - WHY? Will dilute relevance, here are the list of stop words:

• And
• A
• The
• In
• On
• Of
• Be
• I
• Me

Use long tail keywords (3 words or longer) - WHY?

• Less competition
• Higher conversion rate
• More relevance to your website
• Quick to rank
• Higher initial ranking position
• Lower bounce rate

Common mistakes for choosing keywords:

• Choose vanity phrases
• Copy competitor's keyword
• Try to target every keyword
• Pick keywords purely on search volume
• Only implementing keywords to the home page
• Use the same keywords on every page
• Overusing keywords in page copy
• Using phrases that are not relevant to the website
• Target one phrase throughout the whole website

Food for thought:

• Competition for this phrase unrealistically high?
• Is this phrase really relevant?
• Most relevant for this page?
• Enough search volume?
• Imaginable for ppl to searchin this?

Remember to:

• say no vanity phrases
• pick most relevant phrases
• not pick based on solely search volume
• use long tail keywords

Last but not least keywords msut be representing well within:

• Meta descriptions
• Meta keywords
• Page titles
• Alt tags
• Header tags
• Body text
• Link anchor text
• Website navigation
• Page names
• File names

Do not overuse keyword as it may be treated as spam.