FAQ: Search Engine Optimization

[patel paresh]

Hello
My friend used google analytics as a tool to monitor traffic and source of traffic on his site, then he came to know about MSN tool which also can help to analyse the website traffic. Now when he added MSN tool meta text on his website, the google analytics stopped showing results in Analytics tool.
So there a technical issue or its becase google and msn are rivals to each other?

[patidarmact]

can some one send me list of good web directories.

[Webinsane]

This could be separate topic but maybe this will help:


http://www.seocompany.ca/directory/t...rectories.html


In my opinion there is maybe 2-3 directories that have linking value for your site, but I guess if directory brings you even one visitor it is good directory.

[ro0bear]

Brilliant, a really useful read.

One little thing, is it worth changing:

Use <b> and <i> tags if appropriate

to:

Use <strong> and <em> tags if appropriate

?

Thanks, ro0bear

[ro0bear]

I am pretty new to SEO, so I was wondering if anyone could answer a couple of questions?

Keep the number of links on a page to less then 100

Firstly, does that include internal links? secondly does it include skip links? and thirdly, is it the more quality internal links the better? (assuming that the 100 links does not include internal links, or assuming there is less than 100 links if it does.)

Thanks ro0bear

[Forcefield]

Firstly, does that include internal links? secondly does it include skip links? and thirdly, is it the more quality internal links the better? (assuming that the 100 links does not include internal links, or assuming there is less than 100 links if it does.)

Unless it's a sitemap, I would keep it under 100.

[lightningfast]

How do I check if my site is search engine friendly?

Turn off JavaScript, CSS, and cookies in your web browser and view your website. This is how the search engines most likely see your website. If you can successfully view your content and navigate your website your site is mostly search engine friendly. The only other thing to check is your URLs. Not using a session ID or 'id=' in your query strings is also very helpful.

You can use Lynx Viewer or the browser to see how Google or search engines looks into the Web site.

[patmos04]

Well, the thread looks pretty informative. However, it may not be easy for people without a background in programming to understand some things. Is it possible to have things simplified? I need to learn.Thanks

[Dan Schulz]

Perhaps some links to the other FAQs on the rest of the forum could work. Would you be interested in having them included?

[patmos04]

Yes sure would . Thanks

[Dan Schulz]

Okay, let me dig through them then and consult with the respective Team Leaders to see which links their teams would want to see included before seeing what Hartmann (the Manage Team Leader) says, all right?

[BransonPro]

Thanks for the good information. I have to agree with you on the majority of it. It's good to see quality SEO tips for a change.

[Dan Schulz]

Thanks for the good information. I have to agree with you on the majority of it. It's good to see quality SEO tips for a change.

What parts do you disagree with then?

[HAWK]

I have been removing every 'thanks for the good info' post that is added to this thread but I'll leave this one because I'm curious as well.

[BransonPro]

"....Does a page's traffic affect its rank?

No and here's why:....."


Actually, Google does consider "bounce back" a factor in determining SERPs. So, if a page that shows as a result in the SERPs, gets visited, and then the same viewer of that page goes back to Google and selects a different page for the same query, then it can cause you to loose position in the SERPs (over time). I've also heard that time spent on the first page before going back to Google for the "bouce back" will have an effect also but I'm un-sure of this.

..."What about reciprocal links?

In general, reciprocal links are bad for SEO and should be avoided. Here's why:...."

There is nothing wrong with quality reciprocal links, as long as the page you are linking to ins't doing anything that Google considers a "no-no" (spam). Link exchanges are a good way to build your PR, especially for a newer site. It's all about how many other outbound links the page you're linking to has on it already.
Page rank can be calculated by this formula: 0.15 + (0.85*(a “share” of the page rank of every web page that links back to it))= Your Google Page Rank.
The 0.15 is the lowest possible PR in the Google algorithm. 0.85 is just a dampening factor. Google uses this number for their PR formula. And “share” is the PR of the page linking back to you, divided by the total number of links on that page.
So, if the page you are doing a reciprocal link exchange with has a high enough PR and your site is the only outbound link on it, then yes, it would definitely help you.
Those two things are the only ones I would disagree with in the original post.
I hope I did an effective job of explianing.
Thanks.

[vk_2006]

Google, Yahoo and Microsoft announced they'll support the Sitemaps format (which originated as Google Sitemaps) together

[TriNi27]

Is it true that you only need to submit a sitemap if you have a hosted website?

Sorry if that question was asked already. It's just alot of posts to go tru!

[guruelance]

every time after I update my site, I make sure I upload the site map to all the three main search engines to get indexed.

[dantheman66]

Hi there,
relative newbie here, made my first few posts today on another thread, but this looks more like where i should ask this question:

Does any one know of a site that offers a free on-page optimization scan of a webpage and then returns suggestions for improvements?

I did find one the other week but for the life of me I cannot find it again and I forgot to bookmark it.

Any help would be appreciated.

[Renso82]

every time after I update my site, I make sure I upload the site map to all the three main search engines to get indexed.

If you do have some backlinks your site should get indexed automatically.

[timonweller]

If you do have some backlinks your site should get indexed automatically.

I know i am a bit late in this thread, but thought i should recommend -

Pinging the sitemap works best i reckon for new sites to yahoo, msn and google and then at least 5 to 10 good related backlinks and your site will be indexed in a few hours...

[thegman3]

"Build your website for human beings, not search engines!"

This is the one I find most amusing because it is an oxymoron. On page optimization is crafting the site for the search engines to pick up your website for certain keyword terms. However if you stuff you site with keywords it will sounds ridiculous when a human actually visits.

The truth is you have to write for both human and search engines and this is where it becomes more of an art than a science.

[miriamjones26]

Both are true, if you build your web site for human being and if you don't get traffic, then no point in it , so you have to have good content and also search engine friendly meta's to get indexed for traffic and index.

[lauthiamkok]

"Should I submit my website to the Search Engines by hand or use software?

Do it by hand. It will not take long to do and will ensure that you are successful in submitting each form with the correct information. There is a constant debate about how search engines feel about automated submission software. Since there is a reasonable chance these are frowned upon by the search engines, and since you can do anything they can do on your own, you might as well avoid them.

But, if you're going to use software, these title seem to be the most common ones recommended: Addweb, Web Position Gold, Web CEO"

After reading so many articles about SEO, I am still not quite get it how it works and how to make it works, but from the excerpt FAQ above, submitting the website to the Search Engines might help?? If do, then how do I submit a website to the Search Engines by hand?

Many thanks,
Lau

[naijaecash]

This is quite a ton of information. It good bringing them together in one place just like a reference book. I find it useful. So I say thanks for sharing.