Your Search Engine Optimization Strategy: Make Love, Not War

Written by Scott Buresh


When it comes to search engine optimization strategy, there are basically two camps – those who view search engines as adversaries to be conquered at any cost and those who regard search engines as partners in their online marketing efforts. Long-time readers of my articles probably already have a good idea of which camp I fall into; however, I believe both approaches can be effective optimization methods.

Adversarial Optimization Methods

Service providers who have this “adversarial” philosophy will tell their prospects thatrepparttar formulation of a search engine optimization strategy is much like a high-stakes game of chess. It’s an “us vs. them,” “winner-take-all,” and “every man for himself” mentality. It’s also rooted largely in technology – under this philosophy, success is defined as unravelingrepparttar 141214 latest search engine algorithm to find new optimization methods and exploiting its technical aspects for immediate benefit.

The underlying premise of this search engine optimization strategy is that you must use optimization methods that trickrepparttar 141215 search engines into showing a website predominantly inrepparttar 141216 results sincerepparttar 141217 site isn’t currently offering attributes thatrepparttar 141218 search engines consider valuable. The primary benefits of this approach are that it doesn’t require much work onrepparttar 141219 part ofrepparttar 141220 client and that results can be realized more rapidly. These qualities both stem fromrepparttar 141221 fact that there isn’t a large amount of additional content needed, nor are there many wholesale changes to make torepparttar 141222 website when using such optimization methods.

While this is notrepparttar 141223 methodology that I recommend, it is a valid – albeit potentially volatile – search engine optimization strategy.

Partnership Optimization Methods

Those who view search engines as partners have a very different search engine optimization strategy. These service providers embracerepparttar 141224 idea thatrepparttar 141225 attributes and optimization methods that give a website high rankings in search engines are, by and large,repparttar 141226 same ones that makerepparttar 141227 site more valuable to website visitors and potential customers.

This theory makes sense. Every search engine needs to return results that their users find to berepparttar 141228 most relevant and useful. If search engine R&D people operated in a vacuum, they would probably find their market share rapidly diminished while they lamented about how “people are stupid”. This means that each ofrepparttar 141229 major search engines spend endless research dollars to determine exactly what it is that search engine users find valuable, and each has a high stake inrepparttar 141230 results ofrepparttar 141231 research. No search engine marketing or web design firm hasrepparttar 141232 resources or motivation to conduct studies of this magnitude. It is, therefore, highly advantageous to userepparttar 141233 findings of these studies, deduced from common algorithm traits of multiple search engines, to improve your search engine optimization strategy and website.

Preparing Your Website For Visitors

Written by Christine Stander


Designing and developing a website today is not as easy as it was let’s say four years ago. There are so many elements to take into consideration and various media strategies to contend with.

Color, technology, screen resolutions and cross browser compatibility are but only a few of them. Lately you also have to contend with and create instinctive navigation, search engine optimize your site effectively and ensure that all action pages are merely three clicks away from any given landing page to ensure effective conversion.

With all these considerations, where does one start?

Starting Out Right

I have always been one to believe that if you spend enough time planning your site upfront, you will definitely reaprepparttar rewards upon its launch.

Prior to jumping straight intorepparttar 141170 development ofrepparttar 141171 website, you would have 1.Establishedrepparttar 141172 demand for a specific product or service in a given industry. 2.Researched and documentedrepparttar 141173 strategies ofrepparttar 141174 nearest competitors. 3.Estimatedrepparttar 141175 intended traffic and market audiencerepparttar 141176 site would receive

Only once you have established these points you turn to design.

Designing an effective yet attractive site isrepparttar 141177 most time consuming part withinrepparttar 141178 production process.

Assistingrepparttar 141179 Process

It is very important thatrepparttar 141180 initiator work closely withrepparttar 141181 designer(s), copywriter(s) and developer(s) ensuring that they have access to all information regardingrepparttar 141182 project, including: 1.Target audience 2.Competitors 3.Technology to be used (XHTML, Flash, Java etc.) 4.Site Map, or basic structure of site including pages and on page requirements

Once an initial design has been produced it is advisable that a web analytics or user behavior expert be brought intorepparttar 141183 discussion to ensure thatrepparttar 141184 proposed design will convert as expected.

Visitors do not like to think when they are on a website. Present them withrepparttar 141185 content that they are looking for and make it easy for them to find related information or makerepparttar 141186 desired action such as purchasing, downloading or signing up to whatever it is that you wish them to do.

There are a few generic details to look out for to ensure thatrepparttar 141187 design is onrepparttar 141188 right track, including: 1.Name of Site: The name ofrepparttar 141189 site (and logo) should be clearly visible and legible withinrepparttar 141190 header ofrepparttar 141191 site. This instills brand awareness and if a catchy name and logo are chosen, you will mostly likely find that your return visitor rate increases. 2.Instinctive navigation: Is it always clear exactly where you are within a site when you are on any given page withinrepparttar 141192 site? 3.Underlining of Links: Ensure that all links are underlined. This wayrepparttar 141193 outgoing page path and related information is immediately determined and visible torepparttar 141194 visitor on page load. 4.Actions: It almost seems redundant to say, but ensurerepparttar 141195 actions you would like your visitors to take are always clear. During a page heat map research project, it was proven thatrepparttar 141196 most attention lies onrepparttar 141197 right hand side ofrepparttar 141198 page. The top right corner beingrepparttar 141199 most effective area for actions to take place.

The design is one ofrepparttar 141200 first, but nonerepparttar 141201 leastrepparttar 141202 most important area of site production that needs to be taken into consideration. Equal parts of design, development and content are needed to effectively prepare your site for visitors.

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