Keyword Density Uncovered

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Posted on 16th February 2009 by iansheldon in Search Engine Optimisation

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You may have heard people talking about keyword density, and the effects it can have on a Search Engine Optimisation campaign.    It is important that you make good use of your keywords in the copy of your web site, but remember that you are writing for your site  visitors and NOT the search engines.  What use is your site if it doesn’t make sense to the people you are trying to promote or sell your services to?

A few points to consider regarding keyword density are:

  • Significant weighting is put on the age of the domain, the domain name and link anchor text
  • The most important part of the page for your keywords is the page title.
  • Hidden elements such as description and keyword META tags are given less weighting, but should not be overlooked.
  • Page copy which is bolded, linked, or in a heading tag can be given greater weighting than normal text.
  • Use tags correctly.  For example do not use H1 tags around an entire page or paragraph.
  • Avoid duplication such as bolding H1 tags.  It won’t make any difference.
  • Semantic related algorithms, may look at supporting vocabulary when determining the relevancy of a page (See our post on LSI). If you pulled the keyword phrase you were targeting out of your page copy would it still be easy for a search engine to mathematically model what that phrase was and what your page is about given the supporting text?
  • When people focus too much on keyword density they tend to write content which people would not be interested in reading or linking at.  Make sure that your copy makes sense!

The roadmap to online success – Getting started with Search Engine Optimisation

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Posted on 14th February 2009 by iansheldon in Roadmap to Online Success

We have just finished putting together the first part of “The roadmap to online success’ series.

Part One focuses on Search Engine Optimisation and talks about the main areas of an SEO campaign.

The document is available in PDF format.  Download the white paper by clicking the image below.

roadmap_coverGetting started with Search Engine Optimisation

Give SEO Time!

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Posted on 11th February 2009 by iansheldon in Publications

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I’m not going to write another blog post on SEO and time, especially as it isn’t that long since the last one.

Instead I am going to point you in the direction of this rather excellent article.  Click the link below to read on.

Give SEO Time

Enjoy!

Why does SEO cost so much?

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Posted on 8th February 2009 by iansheldon in Search Engine Optimisation

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Many people wonder why Search Engine Optimisation is so expensive.    The first thing I would say to them is that they are approaching SEO from completely the wrong angle.   SEO should be seen as “what can my business gain from performance driven SEO?”

There are many diferent parts to the SEO process and the cost will basically cover each of these.  If you opt for a cheaper SEO then the chances are that they are missing out a part of the overall process, which ultimately will make your rankings suffer.

As with any service or product, the saying “You get what you pay for” is relative in SEO.

Just like you wouldn’t consider trusting a plumber who charges £5.00 an hour, you should neither trust an SEO promising the earth for £100 a month.   SEO done properly can see you riding high in the search engine rankings, and a good ranking is extremely valuable.  Why should an SEO work for pennies to make other companies lucrative?

SEO pricing is all relative.  You may find that your industry is extremely competitive on the web, and you will pay more for SEO than someone operating in a field that isn’t as flooded.

Each SEO job is a problem looking for a solution and each job should be treated individually.  No two SEO jobs are identical.  Some jobs may require a lot of on site optimisation, where as others may already have sites that have been built with SEO in mind.

In SEO value isn’t about how much you are paying your SEO company, it’s about what you acheive in terms of returns.

If you are looking for a quick, cheap fix to make yourself wealthy on the web then maybe SEO isn’t for you.

SEO can take time

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Posted on 6th February 2009 by iansheldon in Search Engine Optimisation

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One of the most common questions surround any SEO project is “How long will it take?”

There are a few different factors that determine how long it will take for a site to appear high in the search results.    Another response could be that there is no definitive end to and Search Engine Optimisation project, even when you reach the top of the listings.

My inspiration for this article quotes that in SEO you can be, and I quote, a “prisoner of time”.  In the vast majority of cases, especially the competitive marks, Search Engine Rankings don’t come overnight.

Back to the factors that can determine the length of time you have to wait.  These are:

The age of your site – Is your site new?  Newer sites generally have to wait longer to get indexed.  The quickest way to get noticed is to start a link building campaign.  Shout from the roof tops about your site.  Blog, write articles and press releases.  Get yourself known.  A new site can take between 6 months and 1 year to get noticed, where as an established site can take 2-4 months.

How competitive is your market? – If you are in a competitive market, such as GPS tracking, then the results will take a longer time materialise.  Don’t waste your time and the SEO’s time by giving up.   Good things come to those that wait.

Do you use a content management system? – If so, is it SEO enabled?  A good web site in the eyes of Google is one that delivers fresh content to its visitors.  Does your CMS handle SEO practices?  If not you could be damaging your chances of getting a good ranking.

Duplicate Content – If your site is basically a copy of someone else’s then the chances are you won’t see any ranking results. There is no “duplicate content” penalty as such, but you are essentially penalising yourself if you copy content. Google tends to look at the first instance it finds online for a piece of content as the official source (not always the case).

If you copy content that is already out there and indexed by Google, they will discount your content as it is already indexed somewhere else, and your site or page will simply not get any rankings for it – and rightfully so.

Not listening to your SEO – A classic problem.  If your SEO recommends something to you, do it. An SEO can’t help you if you ignore his/her advice.

Links -  Does your web site have enough back links?  The fewer the links the lower down the rankings you will be placed.  Ideally you need to get links from relevant content sources, with a good page rank.  Don’t forget to link to deep pages as well as your home page.

If you generally follow good SEO practices and are prepared to put in the time and effort that SEO requires then you will see results.  Time is often something we don’t have, but when it comes  to Search Engine Optimisation we need to give time the respect it deserves.

Does the age of my domain name affect the search placement?

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Posted on 2nd February 2009 by iansheldon in SEO Q&A

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It’s been believed that the age or maturity of a domain name can have an effect on the search placement of your site, however we are let to believe that in the majority of cases it doesn’t really matter.

Google wants to return the best information, not just information that has been around for yours.

Of course, older domains have usually been attached to web sites for a long time and therefore the sites can have built up significant numbers of back links over the years which will help with its ranking.
As with anything surrounding Search Engine Optimisation, the domain name is a single factor of many…..