simple web page

Search Engine Ranking Improvement

Optimizing to improve search engine ranking is one of the best ways to increase website traffic and expose your content, product or service to people who might be interested in what you have to offer.

The major search engines utilize mathematical formulas to determine where a web page ranks. The search engines look at specific criteria that a page must meet to get to the top of the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). Tailoring your site/pages for improved search engine rankings is also known widely as search engine optimization, or SEO. Here are some first steps to follow:

1) Research relevant keywords. I use various SEO tools to estimate the amount of search traffic for keywords related to a particular niche market. This is an absolutely critical first step, as search engines do NOT create searchers, they route them onto the most relevant pages for a given search term. If your keywords are only searched on 100 times per day on a particular search engine, you can only expect about 40 visitors a day once you have achieved the top spot on page 1 of that SERP. If your business model requires 400 searchers a day, you need to consider supplementing organic traffic with other sources i.e. Adwords, offline advertising, etc.

2) The first thing to understand when targeting keywords is that it’s not all about ranking for the most popular keyword. The most successful search engine marketing and optimization campaigns target relevant keywords for your niche that give you a chance at getting onto page 1r. In competitive niches this will mean initially targeting “long tail” keywords i.e. “Toronto SEO” vs “SEO”.

3) Focus on the reader when writing your content. Think about what your target market needs to accomplish their goals and then put it on your site so that they can find it. If you want to be relevant for specific keywords, then you need superior or at least highly competitive content. Write over 225 words of copy for each page. In less competitive niches, one can target between 3-5 related keywords per page. For competitive markets, I like to reduce this to one or two key phrases per page.

4) Make sure that the critical or “money” pages of the site have unique title, meta description and meta keyword tags. On less important pages I typically only specify a unique title and don’t bother with the description and keyword metas at all. If your site is using the same tags for all the pages, you are losing an opportunity to tell the search engines which pages are important for particular search terms.

5) Keep the structure, navigation and URL structure of your site simple enough for search engines to follow. Remember that search engines cannot parse your navigation if it’s using flash or javascript. So stay close to standard HTML links when it comes to Navigation. This rule of thumb is slowly changing but why take a chance when CSS menus provide interesting functionality while retaining the advantages of a text link?

6) Create a site map on your site and register your site on Google Webmaster tools. This won’t help your site get indexed but it does provide valuable information on issues that crop up with linking, missing pages, etc once the site HAS been indexed.

7) Build your pages’ popularity. So now you have determined the right keywords on the right pages, you’ve created all of the necessary content and you’ve optimized the content to the best of your capabilities. Congratulations – you’re now in the top 20 percent (from an optimization standpoint) of the websites listed for the keywords you’re trying to target. As always, the last 20% of the progress to an objective takes 80% of the work. Once you have arrived at this point, in order to get all the way to your goal, which should be the top spot on page 1 of Google, you need to shift your focus onto building links into your “money” pages. There are a number of ways of accomplishing this but the bad news is that they all involve effort, money and consistent activity for as long as you want to rank #1 for a particular keyword phrase on a particular SERP. Google in particular rewards consistent link building over time, so if you start off building 1 link a day, in order to achieve the best positioning, you need to continue building 1 link a day indefinitely. The good news is that you can pay companies to do this for you and I suggest you pick us, Toronto SEO experts.

IE9 Gets the Browser Out of the Way
I got a guided tour of Microsoft’s new IE9 browser here at SWSW, and saw several features that I believe raise the bar for web browsers.

Wireless IP Pan/Tilt/ Night Vision Internet Surveillance Camera Built-in Microphone With Phone remote monitoring support(Black) $46.88 Specs: Image Compression Format: M-JPEG standard Image Resolution: VGA(640×480) / QVGA(320×240) Sensor: 1/4 inch CMOS, 300,000 Pixels Light frequency: 50Hz, 60Hz or Outdoor Audio compression: ADPCM Data rate: 802.11b: 11Mbps (Max.), 802.11g: 54Mbps (Max.) Ethernet: One 10/100Mbps RJ-45 Viewing angle: 67? Horizontal Rotating Angle: 0~270? Vertical Rotating Angle: 0~120? Alarm Mode: motion detection…

Wansview Wireless IP Pan/Tilt/ Night Vision/ Internet Surveillance Camera Built-in Microphone With Phone remote monitoring support $48.80 Specs: Image Compression Format: M-JPEG standard Image Resolution: VGA(640×480) / QVGA(320×240) Sensor: 1/4 inch CMOS, 300,000 Pixels Light frequency: 50Hz, 60Hz or Outdoor Audio compression: ADPCM Lens: f: 3.6mm, F:2.4 (IR Lens) Data rate: 802.11b: 11Mbps (Max.), 802.11g: 54Mbps (Max.) Ethernet: One 10/100Mbps RJ-45 Viewing angle: 67º Horizontal Rotating Angle: 0~270º Vertical Rotating Angle: 0…

Hawking HomeRemote Pro HRPC2 Wireless Video Camera with Night Vision $149.51 The Hawking Technologies HomeRemote Pro Wireless Video Camera with Night Vision lets you add streaming video to your HomeRemote Pro Monitor and Control System. This camera lets you keep an eye on your kids, pets, or your home via a browser or your Internet-enabled cell phone, regardless of your home’s lighting conditions. Unlike standard Internet cameras that require complicated router configurati…

SportBrain iStep X1 Pedometer (CL331) $4.99 SIMPLE TO USE – KEEP MOTIVATED, LOSE WEIGHT AND STAY FIT LARGE L…

SportBrain iStep X Pedometer $29.99 Whether you’re looking to expand your exercise regimen or you’re just curious how much walking you actually do during the day, the SportBrain iStep X pedometer has you covered. The iStep X attaches to your belt or waistband, where it aligns just outside your knee. From that point forward, the device records every step you take–from leisurely strolls around the office to jogs at the park–so you c…