Internet Marketing and Google
Michael Clay
In today's economy EVERY advantage you can get helps and being on the front page of Google HELPS.
There are some basics that you need to cover first. Once you have these down you can move on to the other things out there. But before we can even go into that you need to know the foundational Lingo used in Internet Marketing and why Google is King.
So your Vocabulary for the day.
- SEO = Search Engine Optimization
- SEM = Search Engine Marketing
- SERPs = Search Engine Results Pages
- SPAM = anything the search engines decide to name as such
- Web 2.0 Real Estate = Any "Web 2.0" website that you can register a account with and post your own information with
- Web 2.0 = Interactive and Social websites (FaceBook, Twitter, Blogger, WetPaint, just to name a few)
Why is all of this Important?
Because online NOTHING happens until someone goes into Google (or one of the other search engines) and types something in, and creates a SERPs. Within Google the SERPs only have 10 Organic spots. An Organic spot is any of the Non-Google sponsored links, Non-Map links, Non News Links. Why is that important? Umm cause less than 5% of people go beyond the front page of SERPs. So if your ranking for "Balloon Twister" with only 1200 searches a month (#'s are made up) that means 60 people a month will find you if your not on page 1.
Step 1. On - Page SEO
These are things you need to do ON your website to get better rankings within the SERPS.
Write unique Title tags for each page on your website. "HOME" is a bad title tag.
The title tag is within the code of your website and looks like this
<TITLE>Your title tag info here</TITLE>
The other TAG you need to make sure is unique is the Description tag, which looks like this.
<META name="description" content="The description of your PAGE goes here" >
Why are these the only 2 I am telling you about? 1st this is a article not a book, and 2nd is because these are your 1st impression on your potential clients.
Ok this is the reason these really matter, because these are your clients 1st look at your company. Your TITLE is the BLUE text at the top. The Black Text Right below that is the Description tag from your website. You want to write these so that people want to come to your website. Hence forth "HOME" is a BAD TITLE.
NEXT... CONTENT ..
If you have been online long you have heard the phrase "Content is King" .. umm well that's only partly true. Good, well thought out content, which is relevant to your keyword strategy, is King. Write good content. Make sure your content is unique. So finding that balloon guy out there and copying his text is BAD, not for them but for you. You see there is a "DUPLICATE content Filter" that is used, and the more relevant site gets the listing. That is a HIGHLY over simplified explanation but you get the point.
NEXT. (still ON-Page) Header tags
Header tags like
<h1> <h2>
all the way through
<h6>
are like Newspaper headlines and should be used to help break up content on your pages.
A quick side note about site design.. a FULL Flash website is BAD. Google can not directly link to anything but the home page with a full flash site, and to quote Google. Make a site with a clear hierarchy and text links. Every page should be reachable from at least one static text link. Meaning NO Flash menu, and NO Flash Pages.. It looks nice but use it to help yourself NOT KILL your marketing.. OK enough of that soap box.
Step 2. OFF Site SEO
This simply boils down to building links coming back into your website from various places. You need to be creative with your link building. I could literally talk for days on this, but I figured I should spend a few on telling you what NOT to do. Because some of the "Neat Tricks", "Cool Ideas", "WOW!! That's Smart", and things of that nature will tick off Matt Cutts.
I know what some of you just said. "SO What, I tick off some guy named Matt, I still am all over the front page of Google." Well then let me explain who Matt is, or even better yet let me reintroduce him with his Business title.
You should do things to tick off the VP of Googles Search Algorithm for SPAM filtering, because he WILL BAN YOU FROM GOOGLE. So let me go over a few trends I have seen that are getting people banned, and if I get some good feedback I will write another article next month with some more advice.
Web 2.0 Doorway SPAM
This is becoming more and more popular because it looks like a quick and easy answer. This is a technique that Google can only track by people reporting the offender and a staff member looking into it. This is done by registering multiple Web2.0 accounts on the same site (Like getting 6 squido accounts) and putting basically the same content on each page just to give links back to your main website. Then you get nailed for SPAM and Duplicate content. This looks GREAT up front, but long run gets you BANNED.
Keyword Stuffing
To the eye it looks like blank space, but it is actual text the same color as the background. Umm Bad form and it doesn't do anything anymore except get you Banned.
Cloaking
This is where you show Google (or another search engine) something, and then show visitors something else. It's basically a bait and switch move.
Link Buying
This is a grey area, but one that should be mentioned. If you go out and buy links JUST to get better rankings in the search engines that's Bad. If you're purchasing advertisement space on sites where your clients visit that's ok.
I hope this helps some of you get going in the right direction. If you survived my ramblings and rabbit chasing and found this useful let me know. If people like it I will keep them coming.
Mike Clay
AKA Balloon Guy Mike
PS. If someone in your area is using these techniques to keep you from listing in the search engine LET GOOGLE KNOW. They like a equal playing field and like giving users a bunch of different choices. You can tell them at this link.
http://www.google.com/contact/spamreport.html
PSS. Learn more about search and pay attention to what Google is up to by reading a Blog written by Matt Cutts http://www.mattcutts.com
