SEO Related Topics
- A Quick Lesson on Title Tag & Meta Creation
- My Favorite Search Engine Marketing Forums
- Links to the Top 20 Search Engines
- Google Explains How They Collect Rank Results
- Does Keyword Density Really Matter?
- MSN SEO - Live Search Engine Optimization
- Internet Marketing Webinars & Articles by SEMPO
- SEO Podcast for Beginners by NEO 1 SEO
Web Design & Development
- Create a Custom Google Search Engine for Your Website or Blog
- Learn How to Create Your Own Browser Icon (favicon)
- All Types of HTML Color Charts
- Create Your Own Pixel “Blog Button” Badge
- Matt Cutt’s on Domain Canonicalization
- Best Resource for Redirecting Web Pages
- Complete Redirection through IIS Training
- HTML and CSS Tutorials by HTMLPrimer
- Create Forms & Questionnaires for Your Site
- Create Advertising Banners for Free
- Fine the Perfect CSS Color Scheme with ColorSchemer
- Squeeze Page Templates for $14
Analytics and Tracking
- Excel Charts & Templates by Juice Analytics
- Why Isn’t Google Analytics Tracking My Site?
- Learn How to Track Outbound Links with Google Analytics
- Tons of Analytic Resources for Internet Analysis’
– SEO Related Topics –
A Quick Lesson on Title Tag & Meta Creation
This is a sample lesson from Search Engine College. It covers how to create the title, META and description tags. I’m only providing this because I know that Search Engine College provides a ton of great SEO information for beginners. Learn how to create the perfect title tag today and see for yourself how effective proper META creation can be. www.searchenginecollege.com/SEO101-Lesson5-sample.pdf
My Favorite Search Engine Marketing Forums
Links to the Top 20 Search Engines
- Google (Google)
- Yahoo (Yahoo!)
- Live/MSN (Inktomi/Microsoft)
- AOL Search (Google)
- Ask (IAC/Ask.com)
- Gigablast
- Excite (Meta) (IAC/Ask.com)
- Lycos
- Netscape (Google)
- All the Web (Yahoo!)
- About (Inktomi/Microsoft)
- Hot Bot (Meta)
- Kanoodle (Google)
- AltaVista (Yahoo!)
- Teoma (IAC/Ask.com)
- DMOZ
- Search Hippo
- Dog Pile (Meta)
- Infospace
- Mamma (Meta)
The top 5 search engines control 80% of search traffic alone and 95% of the search traffic overall.
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(Google) = If you rank well on Google, chances are you’ll rank well on AOL, Netscape, Kanoodle & WebCrawler.
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(Yahoo) = If you rank well on Yahoo!, chances are you’ll rank well on Overture, All the Web & AltaVista.
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(Inktomi/Microsoft) = If you rank well on MSN Live Search, chances are you’ll rank well on Looksmart, About & Hot Bot
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(IAC/Ask.com) = If you rank well on Ask, chances are you’ll rank well on Excite, iWon, Teoma, Excite & Dog Pile.
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(Meta) = Actually uses the META tags (on your page and given to you) in ranking algorithm. Looks like all meta engines trust Looksmart , Siper Pages, DMOZ and other high trust ranking sites for supplemental page results or listing verification.
Google Explains How They Collect Rank Results
SUMMARY (http://www.google.com/librariancenter/articles/0512_01.html): Googlebot (Google’s spider) connects to web servers around the world and crawls 1 billion pages. The bot doesn’t really crawl every page. It asks the web servers to return specific web pages. The servers scan their pages for hyperlinks. This is how Google finds new documents. That new document gets a number. Now Google will index the document.
So if you are searching the term ‘civil war’, Google will go through all the indexed pages that contain the words ‘civil’ or ‘war’ and put them in an ordered list.
Example from Google: “the word “civil” might occur in documents 3, 8, 22, 56, 68, and 92, while the word “war” might occur in documents 2, 8, 15, 22, 68, and 77.”
Now Google has the data to determine how relevant each site is in comparison to each other. With the new list of documents (pages containing ‘civil’ and/or ‘war’), Google will find the set of pages that contain the user’s query somewhere within it and rank those pages in order of relevance.
As you can see; 8,22, and 68 mention both words. All documents that contain any of the words are called ‘posting list’. All documents containing both are called “intercepting a posting list”. Google explains why they call it ‘intercepting a posting list’. Of course documents that are ‘intercepting a post list’ rank higher than documents on the ‘posting list’. Google is able to do this large process for every keyword within 1 second because they have many computers/servers all over the net that do it for them.
Now that we have a list of relevant documents (intercepting the post document), it’s time to rank them based on relevance. This is where PageRank comes into play. Page rank measures 2 things; how many links point to a web page and the quality (based on pagarank again) of those sites.
There are many other factors. The example they use is keyword containment. They assume that if “civil” and “war” are mentioned together that it’s more relevant to “civil war” than a document that just mentions both of them separately. They also use keyword density as an example. “if the words “civil war” appear several times throughout the page, that page is more likely to be about the civil war than if the words only appear once.”
“As a rule, Google tries to find pages that are both reputable and relevant.” If 2 pages both appear to have the same amount of content and relevance, then Google will pick the site that is most trustworthy. It is possible to be more relevant AND rank higher than an authority site.
Now Google has determine who is number 1, 2, 3 and so on.
Does Keyword Density Really Matter?
Yes, keyword density does matter, however to assume there is a standard is a huge flaw. Some industries depending on competition and type usually determine how often your keyword should be mentioned. Besides having your keyword mentioned several times throughout your page template, you must have supporting content. So if you want to rank #1 for “business consultant” it is advised that you
- Make “business consultant” prominent in the title tag, description META, headings, body content.
- Use the phrase “business consultant” as many times as your top 5 to 10 competitors use them.
- Use “business” alone a quarter of that many times (times using “business consultant”)
- Use “consultant” alone a quarter of that times
- Use variations of your phrase several times. Ie: consulting businesses, business consulting, business consultants, etc.
- Use phrase partially with other phrases. Ie: small businesses, consulting in…, best business…
- Add latent content wherever you see fit. Ie: information, plans, leaders, corporate, job, industry, mlm, agreement, hr, accounting, start-up, etc.
Be careful to only add the keywords as often as the top competitors. See how often they mention it per every 200-1000 words or characters. See how many times it’s mentioned in the header. Locate all the places (in the source code and visually) that the phrase is mentioned, then do the same. The SEO saying is, ‘do what works’. If you go overboard, you may find your site with all the other sites that went overboard and not ranking with your top 5 competitors. If density does matter, it’s more effective negatively if your percentage is too high. High density is the number 1 SEO spam flag. If anything, stay away from high density and try to surround that targeted phrase with latent quality content.
The main thing to remember is, it’s all about page theme and site architecture. Also, make sure the phrase you are targeting is mentioned more often than any other keyword phrase on the page.
MSN SEO - Live Search Engine Optimization
Ranking well in Google, but not MSN is a problem many may have. But, most people have this reversed problem where they can find themselves on MSN but not on the search marketing giant; Google. If you are anything like me when it comes to SEO (Ranking for Google), then you might sometimes find that your site may be on the 1st page of Google, but not even on the top 3 pages of MSN. This is because they use completely different ranking algorithms. Read “Microsoft SEO from them themselves” for better MSN Live rankings. However, I must recommend that when optimizing a site, your goal should be to rank well on all search engines. Here is MSN’s SEO Best Practices Document. http://advertising.microsoft.com/seo-optimization
Internet Marketing Webinars & Articles by SEMPO
SEMPO is arguably the #1 site for up-to-date resources on all aspects of internet marketing, including SEO. They have a huge list of internet marketing webinars and search engine marketing articles it is a very resourceful site. One of my favorite webinars is “Lead generation: Digital Media’s Killer App?” www.sempo.org/learning_center/webinars/ | www.sempo.org/learning_center/articles/
SEO Podcast for Beginners by NEO 1 SEO
If you are having a hard time grasping SEO and feel it’s hard to understand, listen to SEO podcast at NEO 1SEO. They provide awesome SEO information that makes you feel like you are amongst SEO’s in their discussions our as if they are actually tutoring you in SEO. http://podcast.neo1seo.com/
– Web Design & Development –
Create a Custom Google Search Engine for Your Website or Blog
This is another easy and priceless feature provided by Google. Creating a custom search engine to embed on your site is as easy as 1, 2, 3. You can decide where to place the search bar and the search results. You can even choose which sites you want it to search. For instance, right now I’ve added a few search boxes to a couple of sites that display results in other places. The results from this search box only delivers the websites I’ve added to the list of sites to search. I don’t want to give it away, but if you really think about it, creating search engines can help you with Affiliate & SEO some way some how… Matter of fact, I’ll tell you two ways I use them to help me currently.
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One way I use it is to only display pages and sites I’m working on and are competing for the same phrases. It can be used to possibleysee how Google’s algorithm works. Create 10 different versions of the same content targeting the same phrase. Then put them through your custom search engine and see which ones Google likes best. Maybe even do a little link building to see how certain links affect results. Best believe, with the results branding ‘Google’, the results have to possess Google’s quality, right?
- Another I way I use these engines are for link negotiations. I tell other webmasters that I will add them to a variety of engines I have on different pages and…
- The Do-follow Diver is a perfect example of a custom search engine used to help with SEO. (click on picture to use.)
Anyway, it doesn’t have to go that far. Do something simple and fun like adding a blogroll search engine that only searches sites on your blogroll. This can even come in handy for youself. http://www.google.com/coop/cse/
Learn How to Create Your Own Browser Icon (favicon)
A favicon is that little icon you see next to a site’s url. It’s not needed, but it’s good for branding. Plus, it’s just another chance to show your uniqueness and identity. This picture is here to demonstrate how favicons can imprint an image in your head and reinforce branding.
Favicon.CC is my favorite favicon creation sites. You can create one from scratch, upload your own picture or find ones users have already created and edit them to your liking. Using this site is definitely a fun way to learn 16 x 16 pixel design and animation. http://www.favicon.cc/
Genfavicon is a good one too. You upload your picture, crop it and save. It is extremely simple for the ones that already have a picture or logo. http://www.favicon.cc/
I added this Dynamic drive link because if you are ever starting from scratch, starting with a gradient background adds flavor and life to your design. http://tools.dynamicdrive.com/gradient/
All Types of HTML Color Charts
4096 Color Wheel - Hover Over Wheel to View Code: http://ficml.org/jemimap/style/color/wheel.html
HTML Color Tool - Click on Wheel to View Similar Colors & Codes - http://www.wellstyled.com/tools/colorscheme2/index-en.html
Color HTML palettes
Create Your Own Pixel “Blog Button” Badge 
Creating a blog badge can be fun. You see them on every blog and every major social network offers one to add to your site. Why not create your own custom badge for others to place on their site? Luca Zappa provides a brilliant button maker that any webmaster would enjoy. http://www.lucazappa.com/brilliantMaker/buttonImage.php
Matt Cutt’s on Domain Canonicalization
Yes, Google (Matt Cutts) does say there is a way to handle the www vs. non-www issue. He doesn’t say with is best. They say just pick 1 version and stick to it. IF your trying to decide which version to pick, check to see which version shows up on Google for your top terms and figure out which one already has the most backlinks. And yes, these are all different URL’s/pages in the bot’s eyes;
- www.jameseo.com
- jameseo.com/
- www.jameseo.com/index.php
- jameseo.com/default.html
- www.jameseo.com/
- jameseo.com/default.htm
- jameseo.com
He also answers a few redirecting questions. http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/seo-advice-url-canonicalization/
Best Resources for Redirecting Web Pages
If you are trying to learn how to canonicalize your urls or redirect old pages to new pages, here are a few redirecting resources I must recommend.
Steven Hargrove; Web Developer wrote a good article titled “how to redirect a webpage, the smart way”. It definitely helped me out. http://www.stevenhargrove.com/redirect-web-pages/
And of course WebConf’s tutorial. http://www.webconfs.com/how-to-redirect-a-webpage.php
Complete Redirection through IIS Training
Here’s a good source if you are trying to redirect a domain on a Window’s server through IIS. This is a full step by step tutorial with pictures explaining how to redirect on IIS 7. http://www.trainsignaltraining.com/windows-server-2008-http-redirection/2008-03-27/
HTML and CSS Tutorials by HTMLPrimer
HTMLPrimer is by far the best HTML tutorial site on the net. They provide tons of lessons for beginners to professionals. Learn HTML and CSS in no time. One of my favorite post is “101 five-minute improvements for your website” http://www.htmlprimer.com/
Another good HTML tutorial site is HTML Basic Tutor. They provide step by step tutorials for basic HTML. I recommend this site to anyone that doesn’t have an HTML clue. http://www.htmlbasictutor.ca/
Create Forms & Questionnaires for Your Site
If you don’t have a HTML clue, but would like to create a form for your site I recommend Wufoo. Easily create contact forms, surveys, questionnaires, mailing list forms, applications, event registration and whatever other type of form you could imagine. http://wufoo.com/
Please Try My Example Wufoo Form.
Create Advertising Banners for Free
If you need to create a variety of banners fast and you don’t want to pay a cent, I recommend Make Free Banner. Make Free Banners has a quite a few templates to add text to. They’re not flashiest of banners, but they can get the job done. http://www.makefreebanners.com/
Sreenshot:
Examples:
Fine the Perfect CSS Color Scheme with ColorSchemer
Choose from a variety of CSS color schemes that have been voted easiest on the eyes. ColorSchemer is a great place to find colors schemes that include the colors you want your website to be. ColorSchemer also provides a great tool to help you create the best color scheme for yourself. http://www.colorschemer.com/
Examples:
Squeeze Page Templates for $14
If you are looking for some really cheesy but converting squeeze pages, try these out. I currently use them and I have no complaints. $14 bucks isn’t much if you have something to sell. http://internetbusiness-tips.com/special.html
– Analytics and Tracking –
Excel Charts & Templates by Juice Analytics
If you do a lot of reporting on excel for PPC, SEO and or analytics, check out Juice Analytic’s Chart Chooser. They offer a variety of templates to get you started on some of the most expressive and elegant charts. Line charts, bar charts, pie graphs, column charts, bubble charts, waterfalls and my favorite quartiles tables. http://chartchooser.juiceanalytics.com/
Why Isn’t Google Analytics Tracking My Site?
Do you have Google analytics installed on your site properly? Or do you think that you have it installed properly, but can’t figure out why you’re not getting any stats? Well fortunately many have had the same problems prior to you. So Google create a page devoted to “Why Isn’t Google Analytics Tracking My Site?” https://adwords.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=57053&src=top5
Learn How to Track Outbound Links with Google Analytics
Is the missing link to your affiliate campaign not being able to place a link on a client’s landing page? Well if you use Google Analytics, you’re in luck. Here is a tutorial on how to add a code to a outbound link so you can record how many visits left your site through that link. http://www.google.com/support/googleanalytics/bin/answer.py?hlrm=hi&answer=72712
Tons of Analytic Resources for Internet Analysis’
Whether you are a beginner or a pro, Web Analytics is the number one source for up to date info on analytics and the net. How to’s, social networking, news, jobs, articles and more. And best of all this has nothing to do with anything but analytics. Information on software from Omniture to Google Analytics, you’ll find something worthwhile. http://www.webanalyticsassociation.org/resources/
THIS PAGE IS UPDATED MONTHLY - Feel free to send me links to resources that you found to be valuable. Thanks! (below is what’s coming up on the next update)
http://wordle.net/create
http://wiep.net/link-value-factors/
Gotta Appreciate StepahnMiller
http://www.stephanmiller.com/the-ultimate-dofollow-blog-list/
http://www.stephanmiller.com/my-link-lists/264-places-to-list-your-blog/ 335 Places to List Your blog
http://www.stephanmiller.com/my-link-lists/590-places-to-submit-your-pad-files/
http://www.stephanmiller.com/my-link-lists/7-places-to-buy-and-sell-websites/
http://www.colorjack.com/
| ttp://www.degraeve.com/color-palette/?src=rss |
http://www.degraeve.com/favicon/index.php?pixels=FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF889766766889999875875FFFFFFFFFFFFC62D96FFF766743C836AC6AC269766EC5EC5875FFFFFFFFFC62D96E82D71E8287558A6AC58A58A875EC5EC5C83FFFD96C62E82E82E82D9674326958A6AC58A269875EC5EC5FFFB52D61E82E82D71D96D964552696AC6AC28B269EA3EC5C83B52D61D71D71D71D9676614726928B28B269269C83EC5EA3B52D61D71D71B5244414714726928B269147147C83EC5EA3B52D61D71D71C62743147B52743147269147147C83EC5C83766C41D71D71D71D71C62D71D96444147147444EA3EC5C83A99832D61D71D71D71832422147269147444C83EC5EC5455FFF766B30D61D71D71D71444147455743EA3EC5EC5743BBBFFFA99832B30C41D61D71D71E82E82E82EA3EA3B52766FFFFFFFFF766910910B30B30C41C41D61C62D71B52444BBBFFFFFFFFFFFF766422910910910910910910422455AAAFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF999766324213213324444889AAAFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF999889999999AAAFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
http://www.256pixels.com/
http://www.colorschemer.com/online.html
http://beta.dailycolorscheme.com/
http://www.colr.org/
Image Link HTML Code
<a href=”http://frenchietink.com/” title=”French Bulldog Tink”><img src=”http://frenchietink.com/french-bulldog.gif” alt=”French Bulldog Tink” /></a>
