SEO Tips for Bloggers
Matt Cutts gave a talk this spring at WordCamp San Francisco 2009 (which he just republished in his blog the other day), during which he gave some great insight into how to help your SEO for your blog--in particular, if you use WordPress (since he *was* at WordCamp) . Below is a quick summary of some easy tips to keep in mind when blogging that may help increase your PageRank:
- Links to your site are key. The number of links in conjunction of the quality of links to your site are probably the most important determinants of your PageRank. If you have 10 links and your buddy has 20, but your links are from high-quality sites such as The New York Times online, then your links have more validity and weight--which means your site will likely be ranked higher than his. It's not always the number that matters; the quality of links is a big factor as well.
- Write about something you care about. If you care about your topic and know a lot about it, chances are that your readers will find your content interesting and continue to link to your posts. They key is to start small and write about something nichey; as you gain a following, you can expand your horizons to other topics, but remember: it's important to retain your own voice, opinions and to be interesting--that's what keeps people coming back and linking to you.
- Naturally incorporate keywords. When you write about a particular topic, make sure you incorporate relevant keywords and search terms within your post naturally. Think about it from the reader's perspective: it's no fun to read a "keyword-stuffed" article when every other word is the topic at hand. Instead, use similar terms that might be used interchangeably when people search; for instance, if you're talking about USB drives, maybe use "thumb drive" in one sentence and "flash drive" in the next--they're all synonyms for the same thing, but different people may search using different terms.
- Optimize your URLs. Think about how your URLs are structured. Google can't tell where words start and end ifyouhavethemallmashedtogether. Dashes-between-words is therefore the way to go. Additionally, you may want to modify tenses of words in your URL to apply to a wider range of searches--so, using "change" vs. "changing," even if "changing" is in your post's title.
- Write in plain terms. Ok, so we all know you're a super-expert in your field, but on your homepage it helps to meet the general populace halfway. It's okay to get all super-technical and obscure within a whitepaper or a research paper, but if you do it throughout your entire site, chances are that Google is going to have a tough time turning your content up in relevant searches (and the rest of us will be left wondering what your site is even about). It helps to mix in some common language (especially on your homepage) so you can attract a greater audience.
- Post often. If you write interesting articles every day or every week, people will be visiting and linking to your site more often than if you post every, say, 6 months. It can be tough to make the time (trust us--we're guilty too), but it'll probably be worth it in the end if you're continually posting relevant, interesting content.
To learn more SEO and WordPress tips, I recommend watching the entire video of Matt presenting, which he posted in his blog a few days ago.
Want to Improve Search Engine Visibility? 15 Tips
If you use your website to get noticed--whether on a business-related or personal level--then chances are you're looking to increase your search engine visibility. I came across an article today in my Google Reader that outlines 15 solid tips for doing just that.
Written by social media marketer Mike Fruchter, this article is immensely helpful in outlining some key methods to getting search engines to "like" your site. And if you like what you read, I highly recommend following Mike's blog (or perhaps Louis Gray's, where the article was written) for more tips on social media marketing, or tech stuff in general.
So, without further ado:
http://www.louisgray.com/live/2008/11/15-tips-on-improving-search-engine.html
SubmitNet Partnership
Are you looking for a way to attract more visitors to your site? SubmitNet can increase your site's visibility, as it optimizes your site and submits it to all of the major search engines, month after month.
And, with no downloads or installation, SubmitNet makes search engine optimization simple, allowing you to access your SubmitNet control panel from any computer!
Increase your search ranking today with SubmitNet's Basic Plan, which provides you with automatic monthly submissions and reports, and is FREE with any hosting package. If you are looking for more, such as keyword and MetaTag analysis and creation, sign up for a Gold or Platinum Plan at a special IPOWERWEB discounted price.
The sooner you submit your site, the sooner search engines will recognize it! So, optimize your site now!
Version 6 of Google’s AdWords Editor Released
Google's AdWords Editor is a tool that enables you to manage all your AdWords campaigns. The AdWords Editor allows users to update their campaigns while offline and upload changes at any time.
If you wish to download the latest version of Google's AdWords Editor (currently version 6), please visit Google's web page - http://www.google.com/intl/en/adwordseditor/.
Best of all, Google's AdWords Editor is compatible with PC's and Mac's.
Google Commemorates The Birthday of Diego Velázquez
Diego Velázquez was a leading Spanish painter in the court of King Philip IV. Velázquez was born on June 6, 1599 and in honor of his birthday Google has a special logo today.
Google Leads the Search Engine Industry in April
According to ComScore, in April 2008 Google led the U.S. search engine industry with 61.6 percent of all searches performed by Google. Google increased its shares from the month before, March 2008, where the search engine leader performed 59.8 percent of all searches. Yahoo came in second place for the month of April 2008, the search engine performed 20.4 percent of all searches.
MSN followed both Google and Yahoo, coming in third place with 9.1 percent of all searches.
Google Health Launches
On February 22, 2008 we informed you about an ongoing project related at Google, where the company will be able store all health records for people with a Google account.
Well....Google has just launched Google Health. According to Google Health's web page -
"Google Health puts you in charge of your health information. It's safe, secure, and free.
*Organize your health information all in one place
*Gather your medical records from doctors, hospitals, and pharmacies
*Keep your doctors up to date about your health
*Be more informed about important health issues"
Logo and Site Redesigns For Mother’s Day
Many search engines (particularly the big ones), redesigned their home page and/or logo in honor of Mother's Day. Here are some pictures from around the Web.
Mamma.com – The Search Engine for Mother’s Day
When you think of a search engine, either Google, Yahoo, or MSN most likely come to your mind.
Although because it is Mother's Day we would like to remind/inform you of another search engine, Mamma.com.
Mamma.com was one of the Web's first search engines, launching in 1996. In June of 2007 Mamma.com was renamed Copernic Inc. but before the name change Mamma.com's slogan was "The Mother Of All Search Engines".
Check Mamma.com out for yourself - c'mon its Mother's Day.
Google Now Enforces Its AdWords Display URL Policy
On April 1st, 2008 we reported that Google was to begin enforcing its new display URL policy. In many cases AdWords advertisers were still allowed to have different display and landing URL's.
This no longer seems to be the case, As of now Google strictly enforces its display URL policy. So if you have any AdWords ads that do not share the same display and landing URL's - make sure everything is in sync.