Search Engine Optimization I have just finished search engine optimizing a website that had not received good search engine placement. You can click our blog post title and visit the site. It is called the Center For Permanent Cosmetics.

Not only did we totally optimize the site, but reworked the content, added images, upgraded services, and in general gave it the polish that it needed. I wish that I could show you the before and after to really illustrate that great focused content can really upgrade a website to a new level.

One thing that all webmasters, newbies, and just educated site owners can take away from this post is that it is very difficult to get search engine placement if your only form of navigation is encapsulated in JavaScript. If you love having a drop down menu, just make sure to include text based navigation that the search engines can read and follow to spider your full website. Search engines will not read the links that you have embedded in JavaScript and so you may end up with just your home page being indexed as this site did. When you have more to offer than one page of content, make sure that you are helping the search engines by using spider friendly code, links, and techniques for improved search placement.

Labels: Search Engine Optimization

  ¶ 2/21/2007 12:01:00 PM 0 Comments

  Google AdWords Quality Score If you don't check your Google AdWords account frequently, here is a good reason to take a look. Google turned on a new feature in the AdWords control panel. Now you can see your quality score, well somewhat. At least you know from Google's viewpoint whether it is GREAT, OK, or POOR. If it is poor, rest assured that it will most likely end up being disabled for search in the next several weeks.

Now is a good time to go in and to review your list, take action to drop keywords, create new break out ad groups that are more targeted, and revise your landing page. Google is aggressively disabling the keywords that it considers poor or assigning them a high CPC to show in search.

If you looked on Friday, you should take a look today as on Friday Google has announced that they had a big glitch and that many words that were not to have been disabled showed as disabled. They have announced that it had nothing to do with the Quality Score that was rolled out Friday, but sure seems like a very funny coincidence. I just about had a cow on Friday when I looked at my accounts, but the picture is much rosier today.

Labels: Google AdWords

  ¶ 2/20/2007 04:06:00 PM 0 Comments

  This is Big News! Finally Know Your Google AdWords Quality Score Oh, this is so great! I am totally excited! Google AdWords has just released that by week's end they will be adding a quality score rating in Google AdWords accounts by keyword.

The quality score has always been a real factor for Google AdWords accounts and now finally we are going to get some real direction from AdWords on quality score problems. Before we just had to guess what our score was and to try to guess why certain keywords were disabled from search. Now as professional account manager we will at least have some real information from Google on how they see our program. That is great news.

In addition to changes in transparency on the quality score, Google has announced that it is changing the landing page algorithm and is also changing its ratings on "virgin keywords". This is also great news. Watch for all of these changes in the next several weeks and the new quality score indicator by the end of this week.

Labels: Google AdWords

  ¶ 2/15/2007 07:16:00 AM 0 Comments

  Want Top Organic Search Engine Placement? If you want top organic search engine placement, then you absolutely must use the tool that we use. Click our blog post title to view this neat online tool that is instrumental in getting good search engine organic placement. It is a keyword density tool.

Now the real trick comes in to just how much density on your keywords do you need to have. Well if you need to move up in the SERPs you should be looking for 5 to 7% density on your chosen narrow keywords. Google and MSN like about 3% at this point, so I might hedge to be around 5% at this point. You know we don't want to spam the engines do we? It used to be that 7% was my benchmark, but I am seeing more chatter on this topic in the professional forums and I think that I will personally be striving for about 5% or so at this point.

Easy? Well go ahead and try to write readable content that looks good, sounds good, and makes sense to a reader all the while catering to the search engines. It is tough, it is a craft, and it is an art. So take this nugget and see what you can do now for your site.

Labels: Search Engine Optimization

  ¶ 2/13/2007 07:37:00 AM 0 Comments

  Google's Got a New Patent Disclosure Out Google is on a roll. Here's a link to another new patent that Google is working to get on content discernment. I have not read the full patent disclosure yet, but it appears that Google working to identify content and assign it an Agent Rank and assign an authority rating based on the author. Well, that is it in a nutshell in very simplistic terms.

There has never been a more important time than to become an expert in your own field using your website to disseminate information about your area of business and to keep your clients and readers up-to-date with information using a blog, RSS news feed, and e-newsletters archived on your website. Doing this will establish you as an authority in your marketplace and provide value to your readers.

In the past four months, this will be the second patent disclosure from Google that I have read. The earlier disclosure had to do with identifying duplicated content across websites and identifying which website should be the one to receive top ranking as more authoritative. Now we have a disclosure to identify how authoritative a writer is on the web. These two patent appear to dovetail very nicely with each other.

You can click our blog post title and read the full patent disclosure. It I glean any additional information today, I will post it here tomorrow.

Labels: Google Patent Disclosures

  ¶ 2/12/2007 07:26:00 AM 0 Comments

  The Face of Search Engine Optimization Has Changed The art of search engine optimization has changed significantly in the last two to three years, and now it has changed again thanks to Google's personalized results.

These used to be the tactics that worked for search engine placement:

1. Insert keywords into comment tags
2. Insert keywords into image alt tags
3. Build reciprocal links with other sites more=better
4. Bold keyword text on your page
5. Create a good title tag
6. Have a good meta description and loads of meta keywords
7. Use keywords in h1 and h2 tags

Out of that list the tactics that will really work now are:

1. Create a good title tag
2. Have a good meta description Use keywords in h1 and h2 tags
3. Strive for a good keyword density on your content pages
4. Work to have excellent content and offer information that will benefit your readers
5. Have a blog on your site to keep your content fresh and targeted

It is amazing to me that some people still think that keywords stuffed inside comment tags still work. In fact it does not and Google will penalize you for the use. (Been there done that.) Interesting that a very high-powered Flash designer told me he is using this tactic when we talked about the trouble with his Flash websites placing organically. I do not recommend doing this at all; this is old news.

With personalized search being a default now for Google on the Web, content and I mean good content, is more than important it is crucial. Many of the techniques previously used will not work now to get good site placement.

The face of optimization is changing and now is the time to do your research and change your style and tactics to move your site forward using strong time-tested strategies that really work.

Labels: Search Engine Optimization

  ¶ 2/07/2007 07:23:00 AM 0 Comments

  Very Hot Google Tip Okay this is hot and you really should take advantage of it. In certain markets, Google is now showing a map and local listings above the organic search results. That means that you should make sure that you are in Google Maps! This is a similar approach to what Yahoo has taken, but has charged big time for based on metropolitan market. I have one client who paid Yahoo $800 per month to have this type of positioning that Google appears to be giving away free.

Now here is the hot tip, it appears that Google Maps is now also showing reviews for businesses tied to the Google Maps information and the reviews are all coming from a site called Yelp.com. You can click our post title and go there directly to check it out.

It can really work for you when you have a great review about your business from a real customer and now Google is helping you to get business and credibility for free. Wow, that is a big deal -- first take advantage of Google Maps and second build your credibility online by pointing satisfied customers to Yelp.com to build your online reputation.

Note: I do not recommend that you do this in a bogus way, do not try to pad your references online; that would be disreputable and Google is very smart, it may come back to haunt you. Best to play it straight up and honest!  ¶ 2/06/2007 10:18:00 AM 0 Comments

  MSN adCenter Beta Have You Seen It? I haven't seen this in any of the professionals forums or even on the MSN adCenter blog, but I was looking at a potential client's account for management services and his account is on MSN adCenter Beta. Interesting! Of note was the fact that MSN adCenter is moving to a control panel much like Yahoo's.

Of particular interest to me was the fact that in adCenter Beta, MSN has dropped "Orders". Now there are only campaigns, ad groups, and ad text just like the Google AdWords model. The interface was much more user friendly and is clearly a new change for MSN which is struggling to resolve some of the "issues" that professionals find with their current pay per click advertising interface.

I am looking forward myself to migrating to this new fresher and hopefully bug-free interface for Microsoft adCenter.  ¶ 2/06/2007 06:53:00 AM 0 Comments

  Web 2.0 What Exactly Is That? We are all seeing Web 2.0 on the Web and in forums, but what exactly is that and what does it mean. Web 2.0 is just another name for an interactive website. One that is not static in nature, but rather interacts with the user.

But now we see the emergence of "Web 2.0", a fairly new term that describes an innovative type of website that is built on the participation of its users. Blogs, wikis Podcasts and social networks all fall under the Web 2.0 umbrella.

Huh? Web 2.0 means introducing Buzz Clouds, interactive blogs -- wikis, podcasts, RSS news feeds, user participation on your site. Allowing your users to search your site, add content and comments, and in general interact with the information that you have. That is the jist of Web 2.0.

Don't get tied up on the details, just know that users want more ability to interact. Websites are transitioning from a one way directional interchange of data, you to the user, to a more multi-directional exchange, you to the user, user to you, user to user. A great example is a blog. Comments are left on a post you or another reader can comment and a real exchange happens. Well a small microcosm really. Web 2.0 is on a much broader scale, but a blog, video, news feeds, are all a start to help you transition to this new direction and something fairly easy to implement now.

Labels: Web 2.0

  ¶ 2/05/2007 07:17:00 AM 0 Comments

  Our February Newsletter is Out Want to see the new face of Google Search for 2007. Click our post title to view our February newsletter to get a sneak peak of the new search interface that Google is testing under the name of SearchMash. It will open your eyes to new possibilities.  ¶ 2/03/2007 08:55:00 AM 0 Comments