5 Content Guidelines to Attract Prospects and Search Engines

August 18, 2012 by Gazalla Gaya

Google’s Panda and Penguin updates shook up the the SEO community and more updates are on the way. In fact, according to Search Engine Roundtable, Matt Cutts said that the next few Penguin updates will be jarring and jolting for SEO’s. Cutts was speaking at a keynote address at SES, San Fransisco, on August 15, 2012.

Google Doesn’t Hate SEO

As he has in the past, Cutts pointed out that Google doesn’t hate SEO. The goal of SEO is to make websites more crawlable and faster. When SEO becomes an issue is when spam comes into play, such as if you go overboard buying links, doing comment spam links, or keyword stuffing.

The fact is that Google makes all these updates to ensure that search results are relevant to the user. Google is primarily interested in relevancy, context and quality of content. If you write your content primarily to attract your prospects while keeping search engines in mind so that they can easily index that content, you’ve created a win-win situation. As long as users find your content useful, easy to navigate, scan and understand you’ve made the job easy for both prospects and search engines.

Here are a few content guidelines that Google will not ignore since they entice the user, are relevant and contextual. They allow the user to quickly scan your copy and at the same time they allow search engines to efficiently index your content.

#1.Unique and Engaging Content

Prospects are automatically attracted to unique and original content. Posting unique and high quality content is also a seo strategy. It is the most important and effective way to receive good rankings for several reasons:

When your content is unique, other sites will start linking to you. That’s automatic link building which is an essential seo strategy.
The very reason Panda and Penguin were born were to eliminate spammy sites, duplicate content, obvious keyword stuffing and to reward original, high quality content. Posting unique and high quality content has been endorsed by Google and other search engines in all their seo guides.
If your content is unique, people are bound to share. Most search engines account for social shares as an indicator of the quality of your site. Your social vote increases your visibility and the end result is higher rankings.

#2. Use of Proper Heading Tags

Headlines that engage the reader are instantly successful. They attract and entice your prospect to read the rest of your copy. Successful headlines allow you to tell your story in a few powerful words.

At the same time, heading tags help search engines determine the structure of your document. Seo best practices for headings include:

Your H1 heading is your top level heading. It needs to inform search engines about the focus of your document.
Use headings and sub headings only to define the structure of your document. Avoid using headings only for styling purposes and if they do not define the structure of your content.
Use keywords in your headings, preferably, towards the beginning of your heading.
The H1 heading is the top level heading and should be used only once in your document. H2-H6 are the lower level headings that help you organize your content. Use h2 and h3 headings according to the importance of the sub-topic.

#3. Anchor text and links

Anchor text helps the reader quickly find more pertinent, relevant info either on your site or on another relevant useful site.

Seo Best practices include:

In the early days of the web, you could get away with anchor text such as: Click here for more info. These days you need to clearly define the purpose of your anchor text. Anchor text needs to be keyword rich. You also need to be subtle and sophisticated with your use of keywords. Use your keywords too many times and Google will think that you are a spammer. On the other hand, your anchor text also needs to inform search engines about the focus of your document. There’s just that fine balance that you need to strive for. Avoid keyword-stuffing and using the same keyword multiple times.
Make it easy for users to distinguish between regular text and your anchor text.

#4. Internal links

Your prospects like internal links as it helps them better navigate your site. Try to create each page on your site and each post in your blog as a small part of a larger story and you will be able to help readers navigate through the whole story with an efficient use of internal links.

Not surprisingly,search engines also like internal links as it helps them understand the internal structure of your pages. Seo best practices include linking to only relevant content within the site structure.

#5. Images

Images instantly attract readers and are also attractive bait to lure a reader into reading your page.
Here are some seo best practices for images:

Alt tags always allow a search engine to understand what your image is about.
Avoid naming files with generic names such as: image1.jpg. Follow a naming convention that is relevant to each image ex: smallcat.jpg
Store all images in a single directory. Search engines like this practice as it helps them understand the internal file structure.
Use an image compression program such as smush.it to compress your images. The less space they occupy, the quicker your site will load.
Provide search engines with an image sitemap file
Always give attribution. According to the Google’s recent update, just last week, sites that don’t give attribution to any form of content will be penalized. This usually happens with images.

If you create unique, interesting, powerful content, follow these content guidelines and seo best practices you will attract prospects and search engines, build your brand and increase your exposure through improved rankings.

Do you have nay more content guidelines to add? Please share in the comments below. Thanks.

How to Use the Magic of Meta Tags to Improve Your Rankings

August 6, 2012 by Gazalla Gaya

1^st post in a 5-part series on SEO
Mention the word Seo to most people and they have visions of a magician who with a simple swoosh of his wand (while muttering abracadabra), gets your rankings to the top. I had fun with this title due to this common misconception. The truth is that there is nothing hokey-pokey or evenly remotely magical about meta tags. They give you an advantage and are important to use because:

There’s always stiff competition to be on the top spot on Google, and anything that gives you a competitive advantage should be used in full measure. Especially since these days, your search listings are competing with images and videos which are gaining a priority in rankings.
They increase rankings and click through rates. If you have an attractive title and enticing description, people are tempted and are bound to click through.
Search engines are better able to index these pages. The rewards are an increase in visibility and rankings.
Prepping your document with the appropriate meta tags, is one of a number of essential seo tasks before you publish any page or post on the web

Meta Tags

Meta tags are html tags that you place in the head of your document. They include 3 basic tags, namely:

The title tag
The description meta tag
And the keywords meta tag

The good news is that you get plug-ins for WordPress that allow you to add in your meta data without touching a word of code. WordPress Seo by Yoast and All in One Seo Pack are excellent for adding in all your meta data. You don’t need to touch the header file of your document thanks to these plug-ins.

You can easily type in your meta tags (title, description and keywords) in a plug-in such as All in One Seo Pack for WordPress

If you want to enter in your meta data, without the plug-ins, then WordPress allows you to edit only the body of your document in the Posts section of it’s editor. In order to get to the head section of your page, to enter in your meta data, you need to access your page templates files that are stored in your server. Most themes have the head of the document tilted “header.php”. This is also true, for those of you who are using other Content Management Systems.

a. Unique and Accurate Page Titles

Html title tags:

Page titles are extremely important indicators (if not the most important) that inform search engine what your page is about. Here are pointers to keep in mind when creating your title tags:

The title tag is not to be confused with your page heading. It belongs to your meta data and is the title that users see at the very top of your web browser.
Your page titles must be 60 characters or less (W3 – World Wide Web Consortium also recommends less than 60 characters). Most search engines cut off titles after 60 characters.
Since you have a limited number of characters, your title is precious real estate. You need to be very selective. Think like a user and type in search terms that you know the user will use. Some users will only look at titles so they need to be attractive to make the user want to click through, when your result shows up in search.
Page titles for each page must be unique, and not repeated anywhere else on your site
Best seo practice is to include your keyword in your page title preferably at the beginning of your title

Page Title in SERP's
Title of current page in Firefox

b. Description meta tags

Html description tags:

Description meta tags describe what your page is about and are displayed along with your title in search results. Here are some tips to keep in mind to make the most of your descriptions. Although description meta tags are discounted by Google for rankings, other search engines still use them for ranking articles.

You are allowed 160 characters. Accurately describe the page, products etc in your description meta tags. Include words that users are likely to use to find the page.
Include your keywords. Avoid keyword-stuffing. Try to also include a CTA (call to action) such as Read more, Find out, Learn all about….
If you write an enticing description, it will increase your CTR (click through rate). Also, a meta description allows you to stand out from other sites that the user can click on.

Description in Google
Words in the snippet are bolded if they match the user’s query

c. Keywords

Html keywords tags:

Use as many synonyms, separated by commas, as you think the user may use to define this section. Even though keywords don’t affect rankings any more, search engines will show them up as snippets in search results if the user query matches the keywords.

Use Rich Snippets to Tag Your Meta Data

Google Webmaster Help have released a series of Rich Snippet videos to help you get started. Here is a quick introduction:

Snippets—the few lines of text that appear under every search result—are designed to give users a sense for what’s on the page and why it’s relevant to their query. You can help Google surface this relevant information by adding additional HTML markup to your pages. This markup helps Google recognize certain types of data and display it usefully in rich snippets.

In Google’s own words:

Rich Snippets are markup tags that webmasters can put in their sites in order to tell Google what type of content they have on their site so that we can better display it in search results.

Rich snippets are evolving in part due to a new initiative, schema.org (joint initiative of Bing, Google and Yahoo). Although this initiative is more than a year old, few websites have made the transformation. You could reap the benefits of improved visibility, since you will be at the forefront of using this structured markup.

Google supports rich snippets for these content types:

Reviews
People
Products
Businesses and organizations
Recipes
Events
Music

More information about rich snippets is available on Google Webmaster Tools rich snippets page.

Here are some additional resources for learning more about meta tags and their use in Seo:
Google Webmaster Tools

Google’s Seo Starter Guide

Google’s Report Card

Do you use meta tags? What has been your experience with using them? Please share in the comments below.
If you’d like the rest of this 5-part seo series to be mailed directly to your inbox, please sign up for Web Content Blog’s free updates.

7 Essential SEO Tools for All Content Writers

July 15, 2012 by Gazalla Gaya

Seo Tools Save Time and Effort

It’s no secret that the best way to increase organic traffic is through writing targeted copy using proper search engine optimization techniques. The good news is that we have several seo tools in the market today, that make content writing easy. These seo tools help us:

find the right keywords
write targeted copy
increase conversions by split testing our copy to see which version is most effective
write the right metadata and description
track down any content that has been plagiarized from our site

The seo tools that I’m sharing with you are indispensable to me as a content creator and will help you in any web writing: whether you are writing copy for a large corporate site; or creating content for a blog post.

#1. Google’s Keyword Tool

Google’s keyword tool is the best keyword research tool on the market and it’s free! The Google keyword tool is indispensable for helping writers in their content writing strategies. You can research the number of global and local searches for a particular keyword. Google Keyword tool also allows you to see how competitive the keyword is. Generally speaking, the rule is to go for reasonably popular keywords with lower competition.

The Google keyword tool is #1 on my list because proper seo strategies always begin with good keyword research.

#2. Google Insights

Google Insights for Search provides insights into the search terms people have been entering into the Google search engine. Google Insights is similar to Google Trends, but unlike Google Trends, Google Insights also provides a visual representation of regional interest on a country’s map. It displays top searches and rising searches that may help with keyword research. Results can be narrowed down with categories that are displayed for each search term.

Google Insights showing an increase in search for “content marketing” and top regional searches

#3. Inbound Writer

I have to say this is one tool that I absolutely love and should be part of any seo writer’s tool kit. Once you put in your copy, Inbound Writer will tell you how many points you score from 1 to 100 with a nifty speedometer! (I love the graphical depiction of how low my score can be at times!). Based on your topic, Inbound Writer will research the internet, researching thousands of related articles, posts and info and come up with the best terms for your document. If there’s one tool, I would recommend, it’s this one. The first 8 articles per month are free after which you need to pay.

Inbound Writer’s speedometer showing you all you need to do to write targeted copy

#4. Google Optimizer

Google Optimizer is a great site testing and optimization tool. It allows you to increase the value of your existing websites and traffic, as you can test your site content and design. You can show several versions of a page to different visitors. Google Analytics measures the efficacy of each page version, and with a new advanced statistical engine, it determines the most effective version. If the user performs the action you want them to perform you know that you have hit upon your winning version of the page. Google Optimizer is especially great for landing pages and checking the conversion rates of one page over another. It’s very effective in determining which copy works better.

Video instructions on how to use Google Optimizer for split testing your copy

As of August 2012, Google Optimizer will be integrated with Google Analytics as Content Experiments, which brings website testing to Google Analytics. Google says that integrating Google Optimizer into Google Analytics will greatly enhance and improve your analytics capabilities. Content Experiments helps you optimize for goals you have already defined in your Google Analytics account, and can help you decide which page designs, layouts and content are most effective.

#5. Market Samurai

Market Samurai saves you a huge amount of time with market research. The workflow behind Market Samurai is that you use the filters to cull your keyword list down to a small number of keywords, and analyze those to find the keyword(s) that have the weakest competition… And then work with those keywords.
Market Samurai helps you:

find marketable keywords that have a low competition
find content in related articles
learn if what you plan to write has already been extensively covered elsewhere
link to relevant articles
schedule and publish content straight to your blog

Market Samurai is a paid tool but unlike other seo tools that are unaffordable, Market Samurai has a one-time payment of $149. The features that I frequently use are Rank Tracker, checking your seo competition, the content and back-link finder.

#6. All in One Seo Pack for WordPress

There are many seo related plugins for WordPress, the latest being WordPress SEO by Yoast which I’ve yet to try although currently it has a great reputation. I use All in One Seo Pack. You can write your metadata, title, keywords and description. It’s the ONLY plugin to provide SEO Integration for WP e-Commerce sites.

#7. Copyscape

Copyscape is a plagiarism checker. It checks to see if anyone has been stealing your content and is a good idea in these times when duplicate content is a big no-no and is being penalized by Google.

Which tools do you find indispensable in your content writing process? Please share in the comments below.

Google Gets Picky Over Content with Panda

May 29, 2012 by Alan Eggleston

This is a guest post by Alan Eggleston.

When you get caught for a traffic violation, you get ticketed. That’s kind of what Google Panda is about. Only, instead of getting caught for speeding or driving with a broken brake light, Google penalizes you for speeding with low quality content. Think of it as being caught for driving in the commuter lane while having only one person in the vehicle, then being forced to drive on the shoulder until you change your attitude.

Some Panda Basics

Google Panda is an algorithm – a filter, really – that looks for content of little substance. When it finds sufficient low quality content, Google penalizes the whole site, reducing the site’s search results ranking. They actually call Panda an “update” because every once in a while they rerun the filter to see who has improved the quality of their content and who is still violating their standards. Those who have improved get improved rankings and those who haven’t continue to suffer lower rankings. So far, Google has run six updates.

Note: Don’t confuse Panda with Google Penguin, which is a filter meant to penalize Web spammers.

What is “low quality” content, or content of little substance?

Defining Quality

Low quality content or content lacking substance provides little value to the reader. It is written to show up well in search engine rankings, focused around specific keywords. You have probably seen the ads for writers offering to provide the keywords and requiring content be written to a certain keyword density. That can create low-quality content.

Note: Keywords are important to optimization, and making sure that keywords show up strategically in content is important to ranking, but there’s a huge difference between that and keyword stuffing and writing to place keywords rather than writing for substance.

Low-quality content is also content that is duplicated across multiple sites. Some authors and editors will use the same content on multiple blogs and websites. Google wants to know that content for each site is unique. Sometimes, content is pirated from one site to another without the owner even knowing it, often to the detriment of the original owner.

Another sign of low-quality content is simply poor writing and editing. It may contain multiple typos and misspellings, rambling sentences, poor grammar, erroneous punctuation, and long, run-on paragraphs. These are usually produced by content farms or mills that pay very little and get very little in return. Their focus isn’t on quality but on quantity. The content often lacks depth and specifics, thus also lacking substantial substance and any real value to the reader.

What to Do if You’re Penalized

If you find that you have been penalized by Google Panda, there are remedies. First and foremost, replace any offending content. Make sure that you produce content that is written and edited for your readers, not simply to place well in search. Make sure it has depth and substance and that it is well written. And run searches on Google for phrases and sentence from your work and make sure no one – including you – have duplicated the content anywhere. If someone has, demand that they remove it. If you have, remove it; rewrite it if you need to make the same points elsewhere.

A word about hiring writers: You get what you pay for. While prices for writing can vary at the high end, in the U.S. the difference between a writer willing to produce at $5 a page will be entirely different from someone who won’t write for less than $50 to $75 a page. The later is usually a well established writer who will provide top quality material, while the former is usually someone wanting to establish a career. You’re risking your publication and ranking on paying cheaply. You might find a gem in the rough, or you might simply find a lump of coal. Hiring a quality writer can be a tremendous help in creating quality content. A quality editor is equally important.

A Final Point

Being penalized by Panda is site-wide. That means Google won’t just tag and penalize the pages that show a lack of substance, but they’ll lower the ranking of all your pages. If you’ve lowered your standards and used “black hat” spamming techniques on your site, too, you could be in for a very difficult revival. Remove all the barriers to good quality content and user-oriented searches, and that should improve your rankings.

Alan Eggleston is a web editor, writer and principal of E-Messenger Internet Consulting. He recently posted a related article on the Web Editors Blog titled “Pandas and Penguins and Penalties, Oh My!”

10 Free SEO Tools

October 22, 2011 by Gazalla Gaya

Seo (Search Engine Optimization)

There are a number of free seo tools which should be a part of any site owners toolkit. These tools provide site owners with valuable information to help them improve their search engine rankings and attract more visitors and business.

Let’s look at 10 of these free seo tools:

Google’s keyword research tools allow you to use keywords that customers are using when looking for a product. The tool has a number of search options from searching for keyword ideas using a combination of keywords, a web site and categories to comparing statistics for your keywords and filtering results by search volume (global monthly searches etc.) and competition types.
The Google analytics tool tracks how visitors are getting to your site and lets you analyze your traffic data. This tool will help you focus and write better-targeted ads, strengthen your marketing initiatives and create higher converting websites.
Copyscape is a free plagiarism checker. The software lets you detect duplicate content and check if your articles are original.
InboundWriter is a new online tool that helps you optimize web content for search engines. The free version lets you optimize up to eight documents per month in search results. It helps you discover profitable keywords you’ve been missing out on and track rankings of your website for multiple keywords in all major search engines.
SEO ToolSet by Buce Clay Inc. has multiple free tools. The Search Engine Optimization/KSP Tool measures a keyword’s popularity by showing daily approximations of how often each keyword is searched in the major search engines, derived from monthly statistics. Use the Page Analyzer tool to research the competition. After you have found out who your competition is, see how many unique pages are ranked in the top ten in the major search engines. Then compare it with how many pages you have
MultiRank Checker by iWebtool.com is great to check the Google page rank and the Alexa ranking of multiple urls.
SEO for Firefox by SEOBook.com is good for a quick overview of many parameters including keyword density analysis, keyword suggestions and statistics, page comparison and link checking.
Google Optimizer, Google’s free web site testing and optimization tool, allows you to increase the value of your existing web sites and traffic. Use Website Optimizer to test and optimize site content and design. You can quickly and easily increase revenue and ROI whether you’re new to marketing or an expert
Google Webmaster Central ensures that your site is search engine friendly. It will identify various issues, such as broken links, malware, crawling issues, etc., as well as providing data on search engine indexing and search traffic.
Hootsuite is a social media tool which will help you to monitor keywords, manage multiple Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Foursquare, Ping.fm and WordPress profiles and schedule messages.