The Basics of Search Engine Optimization and Marketing.

UrbelT · 10-08-2005, 08:27 PM

Well, it seems a lot of people come into this topic looking for help with their new website, so I've outlined some basic SEO steps for those looking to promote their website a bit.

I'm just going to start from beginning to end for the basics.

1. Research your target keywords. This is an extremely important step. I do this by figuring out what keywords are top searched. You can use the overture keyword selector to see what is popular. http://inventory.overture.com/d/sear...ry/suggestion/. Try multiple keywords and find the ones that have the highest searches along with the most descriptive for your target market. Don't choose irrelevant keywords because it will be worthless to you to have traffic come in that is not looking for your product/service. Search 10-20 different keywords and keyword phrases (e.x. “choosing keywords”). List them by # of searches, top being the highest, bottom being the lowest. If you have not registered your domain name, take the top keywords into account. Keywords in the domain name are a big plus for Google. If you don't have the keywords in your domain name then it’s not a big deal you can continue.
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/marketing-techniques/130086-the-basics-search-engine-optimization-marketing.html
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=130086

2. Adjust your site’s content for your new keywords. Start by putting your keywords into your <TITLE> tag, make sure that your <TITLE> tag still makes sense and sends a clear topic of your site. Do not use more then 75 characters for your title. If it looks like spam or is not clear, it may hurt your click through rate and traffic from search engines. I never click on something I find that looks like spam in SE’s, do you? Once you have your title adjusted, adjust your meta tags. Although meta tags are not heavily weighed in your SE rankings, at least for Google, it still wouldn’t hurt to adjust them to your keywords. Once you are done adjusting your meta tags and TITLE tag, see if you can somehow insert one or two of your keywords in an <h1>-<h3> tag. If you can’t work it in, its not too important. Adjust the content of your site to have these keywords, don't be too repetitive though. And make sure to put some keywords in ALT tags, but also make sure they are descriptive in what the images are. Don't use the same alt tags over and over and also don't make all images have one. Try to have some of your link text have these keywords as well pointing to certain areas of your site. When in doubt about how many times to place keywords either on your site or meta tags, etc… Search for top placed competitors. I would say pick the top 5, count up instances of keywords and average them up. Then place those amounts on your site. Remember though, don't make it spam…

3. Back Links/Partners/Directories/Reciprocal Links… These are all VERY important for your SERPs (Search Engine Ranking Positions). Back Links are incoming links to your site, other sites that point to you. Partners would be sites that don't exactly have a “links” page but are willing to exchange a link with you. Directories, these are a great way to increase your BL (Back Link) count, a lot of them do not require a reciprocal link back to their site. If you don't already have a links page and/or a links manager create one. You can use http://www.MyLinking.com for a fully featured free links manager. Create a links page on your site. This is where your reciprocal links and partner links will go, along with any links to directories that require a back link. Once you’ve created your Links page you need to require HTML code on your links partners site. If you are using MyLinking this is done through the first checkbox category, you can add multiple required HTML codes, this will allow you to use many different anchor texts for your link partners. Make sure to put your keywords in your anchor text (title tag for MyLinking) when requiring a link back. I’ve found an optimal links page setup is no more then 21-22 MAX links per page, the general rule of thumb is 25 but I would say 20 to stay safe, especially if you plan on advertising later on, or banner ads, etc… Also, if you are using MyLinking check the last category to check for your required link back (HTML) every 24 hours. This will automatically filter out the link partners that decide to drop your link, etc… Once you set your links page, start submitting to free directories. Here are some places to start this: http://www.info-sales.co.uk/directory_A.htm
http://www.webmastergate.com/submit-directories/
Reciprocal Links are very important, as you now can accept reciprocal links through your links page/links manager you are set on that part. But you need to start finding your own reciprocal link partners. MAKE SURE TO FIND RELEVANT TRAFFIC LINK PARTNERS. Search engines calculate your keywords and relevance based on your link partners keywords, etc.. It is VERY VERY important to have link partners that meet your general traffic categories.
Once you start getting BLs you can check your progress by your predicted page rank: You can view that at: http://www.iwebtool.com/pagerank_prediction. It might not be 100% accurate but at least you’ll know you’re making progress. Google does not update their visible PR very often and it can take months to actually see your PR. This is the next best way to estimate your active pr which usually is updated daily.

4. Site Maps – These are very important as well, sitemaps are a list of every page on your site. It is a good idea to put this link into the template of your site. Crawlers should be able to hit EVERY page on your site with no more then 2 jumps (a.k.a Homepage -> Sitemap -> Page B. The ideal way to set this up is have al ink to your site map on each of your pages, and have each of your pages linked on the sitemap.

5. The sandbox… If your site is new, Google will cripple your SERPs for about 6 months. There is really no way around this, just try for traffic through Yahoo/MSN until your out of the box. But this does not mean you can just wait to get BLs until then, its still important to get your BLs now so once you come out of the sandbox you’ll have all the hard work already started to be positioned well.

It takes a lot of time, patience and practice to get to the top, but it can be achieved. If you have spare time you can always submit to more directories, write articles, do reciprocal link exchanges, and adjust your keyword densities.

These steps should keep you busy and get you going in the right direction.

-UrbelT

jmweb · 10-09-2005, 12:29 AM

What ever you do, don't give up on google. It is possible to create a brand new site tonight and be listed in google by tomorrow morning.

UrbelT · 10-09-2005, 04:53 AM

Yes, it is possible to be indexed by Google, and is usually accomplished by having a backlink on a high PR site that gets indexed daily. But, you will still remain in the sandbox with cripped SERPs until your time in the box is up. This is why it is important to work on Yahoo/MSN while your in the box, they do not have a sandbox algo that will cripple new sites, or if they do its not on the scale Google's is.

-UrbelT

Flaresolutions · 10-09-2005, 02:29 PM

The "sandbox" is a myth invented by webmasters who dont have the skills to achieve good rankings.The only restriction Google imposes is having to wait for PR updates - my websites which are interlinked are already achieving Good google rankings (consistently) and they have been for two weeks. Each was set up weeks apart and none have had there SERP's dropped.

UrbelT · 10-09-2005, 03:56 PM

Originally Posted by Flaresolutions

The "sandbox" is a myth invented by webmasters who dont have the skills to achieve good rankings.The only restriction Google imposes is having to wait for PR updates - my websites which are interlinked are already achieving Good google rankings (consistently) and they have been for two weeks. Each was set up weeks apart and none have had there SERP's dropped.

The sandbox is definitely not a myth. It is one of the biggest problems Google has at the moment, and any skilled webmaster knows it is exists. There are instances where sites can get out of the sandbox early but it seems fairly random and fairly rare. One of the most common scenarios that do get out of the sandbox early are sites that do not ask for money, and have some sort of "trust" built up with them. Another way is having a high PR site link to you to get you out. But by high its usually higher then PR7.
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=130086

What is your site? What keywords are you hitting? I can tell you the sandbox is definitely not a myth and it has nothing to do with a webmaster's experience in SEO. I've never heard a claim like this before, and there are very many professionals that would be willing to disagree with you.

Which new sites do you have that are out of the sandbox, what competitive keywords do they hit?

http://www.seochat.com/c/a/Google-Op...Place-to-Play/

-UrbelT

dejaone · 10-10-2005, 05:35 PM

Flaresolutions, mind to share the URLs and target keywords that aren't in sandbox?

bentong · 10-15-2005, 05:32 AM

sandbox tool <-- you can check here

jmweb · 11-01-2005, 01:29 AM

Originally Posted by UrbelT

The sandbox is definitely not a myth.
-UrbelT

It is and I have first hand knowledge of that.

wasistdas · 11-02-2005, 09:01 AM

What is the idea of the box. I dont understand

sm · 11-02-2005, 09:14 AM

it is neither a myth nor not a myth. It's like this .....if you manage to get backlinks from some high quality websites, then google considers it a plus, and will not put the new site into a sandbox.

photoshopfreak · 11-03-2005, 07:55 AM

I have never have been "sandboxed" however it has took me over 2 years to rank high for a certain keyword but that site just required hard SEO work as the keyword was competitive & another thing that caused the ranking to be low at first was because i didn't know SEO like i do now...

There is no such thing as sandboxed from my experience...

10-08-2005, 08:27 PM	THREAD STARTER #1 (permalink)
UrbelT NamePros Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 41	The Basics of Search Engine Optimization and Marketing. Well, it seems a lot of people come into this topic looking for help with their new website, so I've outlined some basic SEO steps for those looking to promote their website a bit. I'm just going to start from beginning to end for the basics. 1. Research your target keywords. This is an extremely important step. I do this by figuring out what keywords are top searched. You can use the overture keyword selector to see what is popular. http://inventory.overture.com/d/sear...ry/suggestion/. Try multiple keywords and find the ones that have the highest searches along with the most descriptive for your target market. Don't choose irrelevant keywords because it will be worthless to you to have traffic come in that is not looking for your product/service. Search 10-20 different keywords and keyword phrases (e.x. “choosing keywords”). List them by # of searches, top being the highest, bottom being the lowest. If you have not registered your domain name, take the top keywords into account. Keywords in the domain name are a big plus for Google. If you don't have the keywords in your domain name then it’s not a big deal you can continue. ????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/marketing-techniques/130086-the-basics-search-engine-optimization-marketing.html ????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=130086 2. Adjust your site’s content for your new keywords. Start by putting your keywords into your <TITLE> tag, make sure that your <TITLE> tag still makes sense and sends a clear topic of your site. Do not use more then 75 characters for your title. If it looks like spam or is not clear, it may hurt your click through rate and traffic from search engines. I never click on something I find that looks like spam in SE’s, do you? Once you have your title adjusted, adjust your meta tags. Although meta tags are not heavily weighed in your SE rankings, at least for Google, it still wouldn’t hurt to adjust them to your keywords. Once you are done adjusting your meta tags and TITLE tag, see if you can somehow insert one or two of your keywords in an <h1>-<h3> tag. If you can’t work it in, its not too important. Adjust the content of your site to have these keywords, don't be too repetitive though. And make sure to put some keywords in ALT tags, but also make sure they are descriptive in what the images are. Don't use the same alt tags over and over and also don't make all images have one. Try to have some of your link text have these keywords as well pointing to certain areas of your site. When in doubt about how many times to place keywords either on your site or meta tags, etc… Search for top placed competitors. I would say pick the top 5, count up instances of keywords and average them up. Then place those amounts on your site. Remember though, don't make it spam… 3. Back Links/Partners/Directories/Reciprocal Links… These are all VERY important for your SERPs (Search Engine Ranking Positions). Back Links are incoming links to your site, other sites that point to you. Partners would be sites that don't exactly have a “links” page but are willing to exchange a link with you. Directories, these are a great way to increase your BL (Back Link) count, a lot of them do not require a reciprocal link back to their site. If you don't already have a links page and/or a links manager create one. You can use http://www.MyLinking.com for a fully featured free links manager. Create a links page on your site. This is where your reciprocal links and partner links will go, along with any links to directories that require a back link. Once you’ve created your Links page you need to require HTML code on your links partners site. If you are using MyLinking this is done through the first checkbox category, you can add multiple required HTML codes, this will allow you to use many different anchor texts for your link partners. Make sure to put your keywords in your anchor text (title tag for MyLinking) when requiring a link back. I’ve found an optimal links page setup is no more then 21-22 MAX links per page, the general rule of thumb is 25 but I would say 20 to stay safe, especially if you plan on advertising later on, or banner ads, etc… Also, if you are using MyLinking check the last category to check for your required link back (HTML) every 24 hours. This will automatically filter out the link partners that decide to drop your link, etc… Once you set your links page, start submitting to free directories. Here are some places to start this: http://www.info-sales.co.uk/directory_A.htm http://www.webmastergate.com/submit-directories/ Reciprocal Links are very important, as you now can accept reciprocal links through your links page/links manager you are set on that part. But you need to start finding your own reciprocal link partners. MAKE SURE TO FIND RELEVANT TRAFFIC LINK PARTNERS. Search engines calculate your keywords and relevance based on your link partners keywords, etc.. It is VERY VERY important to have link partners that meet your general traffic categories. Once you start getting BLs you can check your progress by your predicted page rank: You can view that at: http://www.iwebtool.com/pagerank_prediction. It might not be 100% accurate but at least you’ll know you’re making progress. Google does not update their visible PR very often and it can take months to actually see your PR. This is the next best way to estimate your active pr which usually is updated daily. 4. Site Maps – These are very important as well, sitemaps are a list of every page on your site. It is a good idea to put this link into the template of your site. Crawlers should be able to hit EVERY page on your site with no more then 2 jumps (a.k.a Homepage -> Sitemap -> Page B. The ideal way to set this up is have al ink to your site map on each of your pages, and have each of your pages linked on the sitemap. 5. The sandbox… If your site is new, Google will cripple your SERPs for about 6 months. There is really no way around this, just try for traffic through Yahoo/MSN until your out of the box. But this does not mean you can just wait to get BLs until then, its still important to get your BLs now so once you come out of the sandbox you’ll have all the hard work already started to be positioned well. It takes a lot of time, patience and practice to get to the top, but it can be achieved. If you have spare time you can always submit to more directories, write articles, do reciprocal link exchanges, and adjust your keyword densities. These steps should keep you busy and get you going in the right direction. -UrbelT __________________ http://www.MyLinking.com - Free Automated Link Exchange Management Software.

10-09-2005, 04:53 AM	THREAD STARTER #3 (permalink)
UrbelT NamePros Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 41	Yes.. Yes, it is possible to be indexed by Google, and is usually accomplished by having a backlink on a high PR site that gets indexed daily. But, you will still remain in the sandbox with cripped SERPs until your time in the box is up. This is why it is important to work on Yahoo/MSN while your in the box, they do not have a sandbox algo that will cripple new sites, or if they do its not on the scale Google's is. -UrbelT __________________ http://www.MyLinking.com - Free Automated Link Exchange Management Software.

10-10-2005, 05:35 PM	#6 (permalink)
dejaone NamePros Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 86	Flaresolutions, mind to share the URLs and target keywords that aren't in sandbox? __________________ Add to 100 Directories fast and get 50 one-way links Build natural, one-way and permanent links that actually work

10-15-2005, 05:32 AM	#7 (permalink)
bentong Hari ng Sablay Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 3,529	sandbox tool <-- you can check here Last edited by bentong; 10-15-2005 at 05:36 AM.

11-02-2005, 09:01 AM	#9 (permalink)
wasistdas Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Ukraine Posts: 1,585	What is the idea of the box. I dont understand __________________ The Official Dead End Place: WWW.TODEP.COM. The best search engine ever. WWW.NULLSEARCH.COM For Sale: EnjoyArcade.com, Arcadoid.com

10-09-2005, 12:29 AM	#2 (permalink)
jmweb Account Closed Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Charlottetown Posts: 1,033	What ever you do, don't give up on google. It is possible to create a brand new site tonight and be listed in google by tomorrow morning.

10-09-2005, 02:29 PM	#4 (permalink)
Flaresolutions NamePros Regular Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: UK Posts: 462	The "sandbox" is a myth invented by webmasters who dont have the skills to achieve good rankings.The only restriction Google imposes is having to wait for PR updates - my websites which are interlinked are already achieving Good google rankings (consistently) and they have been for two weeks. Each was set up weeks apart and none have had there SERP's dropped.

11-02-2005, 09:14 AM	#10 (permalink)
sm NamePros Regular Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: India Posts: 608	it is neither a myth nor not a myth. It's like this .....if you manage to get backlinks from some high quality websites, then google considers it a plus, and will not put the new site into a sandbox.

11-03-2005, 07:55 AM	#11 (permalink)
photoshopfreak NamePros Regular Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: UK Posts: 461	I have never have been "sandboxed" however it has took me over 2 years to rank high for a certain keyword but that site just required hard SEO work as the keyword was competitive & another thing that caused the ranking to be low at first was because i didn't know SEO like i do now... There is no such thing as sandboxed from my experience...

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The Basics of Search Engine Optimization and Marketing.

Yes..