Tom
19th Feb 2004, 09:21 am
The below strategies are numbered and named with thanks to Dr Ralph Wilson (http://www.wilsonweb.com/articles/checklist.htm) and the participants in yesterday's seminar on Search Engine Marketing . [The comments in square brackets refer specifically to the www.websitearchitecture.co.uk domain. On 19 February 2004 it did not appear in the top 800 returns for Google searchs on either Website Architecture or “Website Architecture”. Clearly there is scope for improvement.] Comments and additions invited from all forum members.
The below strategy rests, of course, the Grand Fundamental Principle of Website Provision: you should give something away and charge for something else. Put another way: softly, softly, catchee monkey. The Cadtutor website is a brilliant example of the first half of the Fundamental Principle but, if I may say so, has scope for improvement in the second half. One way would be Google Adsense (https://www.google.com/adsense/). I do not see small ads as any kind of detraction from a publication. Quite the reverse: in technical magazines they have almost as much appeal as the content. Getting the right ads on the right pages depends on the keyword/content strategy outlined below.
A. SEARCH ENGINE STRATEGIES
1. Write a page title. Write a descriptive title for each page of between five and eight words. [Homepage for website architecture, design, planning and content management]
2. Identify your keywords. You need to know both (1) which keywords are most important to you (2) which keywords are most likely to be used by the search audience you are targeting. These keywords should ‘cascade’ through the website (from URL -> file names -> content -> CSS tags -> hyperlinks. Keywords are the key. [web website architecture information design content management]
3. Include your keywords in header tags h1, h2, h3. Search engine spiders treat words that appear in the page headline and sub headings to be significant components of the page. So make sure your desired keywords and phrase appear in one or two header tags. [The domain name is very well chosen. Equal care needs to be taken with file names]
4. Make sure your keywords are in the first paragraph of the body text. Spiders expect the first paragraph to contain the most important keywords for the document. You don't want to stuff keywords here, however. Google expects a keyword density in the entire body text area of maybe 1.5% to 2% for a word that should rank high. Other places you might consider including keywords would be in alt tags and perhaps comment tags.
5. Make the navigation system spider-friendly. Test it in a text only browser (eg Lynx (http://www.delorie.com/web/lynxview.html)). Beware of frames, tables, javascript menus, dynamic content etc. If you use these structural components, you have to know how spiders treat them. [use CSS for layout and text for navigation. This accords with accessibility guidelines.]
6. Develop pages devoted to pre-planned groups of keywords. They will rank higher for those words. [Since content is king, it is necessary to plan the ‘content groups’ before creating filenames]
7. Submit the web URL to search engines and directories – but since Google has 70% of the search business at present don’t waste too much time on this. The percentage for academic and professional searchers is probably much higher.
8. Fine-tune the content for search engine positioning. It is worth considering specialist software such as Webposition Gold. It has a page critic and a keyword editor. [There is a free trial download and people should try it. See Today's Market Position Newsletter from Brent Winters (http://www.marketposition.com/mp-0204.htm)]
B. LINKING STRATEGIES
9. The most important links are those from the Open Directory Project (www.dmoz.com). Googles likes these links because they are free and because they are work of expert volunteers. [Before we can attract the attention of an ODP editor it will be necessary to generate good content]
10. Submit the site to web industry sites and specialized directories. External links to and from high-traffic sites are more important than links to and from low-traffic sites. Internal links are also important (as is all markup). [Only when the content is good enough]
11. Request reciprocal links. [Only when the content is good enough]
12. Write articles which other webmasters can use in their newsletters. Permission can be given to use this content in exchange for a link back to your site. This approach is known part of the viral marketing strategy. [We could, for example, write a high-principled ‘mission statement’ outlining the Website Architecture approach to web development]
C. TRADITIONAL STRATEGIES
13. The site URL should go on stationery, cards, literature etc.
14. Promote using traditional media. Advertising is effective but expensive.
15. Develop a free service. It is good practice to make an offer to site visitors so that they have something to remember you by. [We could offer to comment on users own websites from a Website Architecture point of view. We could also provide links to Jobserve.com and similar sites which help users find jobs (http://www.jobserve.com/it/jobserve/searchresults.asp?jobType=*&d=7&page=1&q=content+manager&order=Rank&WebSite=*&x=6&y=11) jobs using the skills fostered on the course]
16. Issue Press Releases. They can be very cost-effective for start-up organizations of every kind. It takes skill but little time to write a press release and can generate enormously valuable coverage. [This should be done]
D. E-MAIL STRATEGIES
17. E-mail programs allow you to write a "signature" which appears at the end of each message you send.
18. Publish an e-mail newsletter. If time is available and you have the writing skills this is a brilliant way of keeping in contact with potential site users.
19. Invite site visitors to register if they wish to be kept in touch with your website.
20. Rent targeted e-mail lists.
E. MISCELLANEOUS STRATEGIES
21. Promote your site in mailing lists and news groups and discussion forums. The lack of public visibility is a drawback to WebCT. Comments fromforums often feature prominently in search returns. [At the seminar we agreed that it would be desirable to have a public forum in which outsiders can participate. It would be interesting to have their views and the content they help to create would start to appear in Google’s search returns. The bulletin board or Forum for course matters should be separate and security-protected.]
22. Announce a contest - people like getting something free. [How about a Britain’s Worst Website competition, with a new category each month? What could the prize be? A baseball cap emblazoned with www.websitearchitecture.co.uk ?]
23. Ask visitors to bookmark your site. Put in a link which can be clicked to automatically bookmark your site. [Good idea]
24. Exchange ads with complementary organisations. This is time-consuming but very rewarding.
25. Devise a viral marketing strategy. This requires something on the site which gets people talking and telling their friends ‘you must see….
F PAID ADVERTISING STRATEGIES
26. Buy a text ad in e-mail newsletters.
27. Begin an affiliate program.
28. Purchase pay per click (ppc) ads on Google.
29. List your products with shopping comparison bots and auction sites.
The below strategy rests, of course, the Grand Fundamental Principle of Website Provision: you should give something away and charge for something else. Put another way: softly, softly, catchee monkey. The Cadtutor website is a brilliant example of the first half of the Fundamental Principle but, if I may say so, has scope for improvement in the second half. One way would be Google Adsense (https://www.google.com/adsense/). I do not see small ads as any kind of detraction from a publication. Quite the reverse: in technical magazines they have almost as much appeal as the content. Getting the right ads on the right pages depends on the keyword/content strategy outlined below.
A. SEARCH ENGINE STRATEGIES
1. Write a page title. Write a descriptive title for each page of between five and eight words. [Homepage for website architecture, design, planning and content management]
2. Identify your keywords. You need to know both (1) which keywords are most important to you (2) which keywords are most likely to be used by the search audience you are targeting. These keywords should ‘cascade’ through the website (from URL -> file names -> content -> CSS tags -> hyperlinks. Keywords are the key. [web website architecture information design content management]
3. Include your keywords in header tags h1, h2, h3. Search engine spiders treat words that appear in the page headline and sub headings to be significant components of the page. So make sure your desired keywords and phrase appear in one or two header tags. [The domain name is very well chosen. Equal care needs to be taken with file names]
4. Make sure your keywords are in the first paragraph of the body text. Spiders expect the first paragraph to contain the most important keywords for the document. You don't want to stuff keywords here, however. Google expects a keyword density in the entire body text area of maybe 1.5% to 2% for a word that should rank high. Other places you might consider including keywords would be in alt tags and perhaps comment tags.
5. Make the navigation system spider-friendly. Test it in a text only browser (eg Lynx (http://www.delorie.com/web/lynxview.html)). Beware of frames, tables, javascript menus, dynamic content etc. If you use these structural components, you have to know how spiders treat them. [use CSS for layout and text for navigation. This accords with accessibility guidelines.]
6. Develop pages devoted to pre-planned groups of keywords. They will rank higher for those words. [Since content is king, it is necessary to plan the ‘content groups’ before creating filenames]
7. Submit the web URL to search engines and directories – but since Google has 70% of the search business at present don’t waste too much time on this. The percentage for academic and professional searchers is probably much higher.
8. Fine-tune the content for search engine positioning. It is worth considering specialist software such as Webposition Gold. It has a page critic and a keyword editor. [There is a free trial download and people should try it. See Today's Market Position Newsletter from Brent Winters (http://www.marketposition.com/mp-0204.htm)]
B. LINKING STRATEGIES
9. The most important links are those from the Open Directory Project (www.dmoz.com). Googles likes these links because they are free and because they are work of expert volunteers. [Before we can attract the attention of an ODP editor it will be necessary to generate good content]
10. Submit the site to web industry sites and specialized directories. External links to and from high-traffic sites are more important than links to and from low-traffic sites. Internal links are also important (as is all markup). [Only when the content is good enough]
11. Request reciprocal links. [Only when the content is good enough]
12. Write articles which other webmasters can use in their newsletters. Permission can be given to use this content in exchange for a link back to your site. This approach is known part of the viral marketing strategy. [We could, for example, write a high-principled ‘mission statement’ outlining the Website Architecture approach to web development]
C. TRADITIONAL STRATEGIES
13. The site URL should go on stationery, cards, literature etc.
14. Promote using traditional media. Advertising is effective but expensive.
15. Develop a free service. It is good practice to make an offer to site visitors so that they have something to remember you by. [We could offer to comment on users own websites from a Website Architecture point of view. We could also provide links to Jobserve.com and similar sites which help users find jobs (http://www.jobserve.com/it/jobserve/searchresults.asp?jobType=*&d=7&page=1&q=content+manager&order=Rank&WebSite=*&x=6&y=11) jobs using the skills fostered on the course]
16. Issue Press Releases. They can be very cost-effective for start-up organizations of every kind. It takes skill but little time to write a press release and can generate enormously valuable coverage. [This should be done]
D. E-MAIL STRATEGIES
17. E-mail programs allow you to write a "signature" which appears at the end of each message you send.
18. Publish an e-mail newsletter. If time is available and you have the writing skills this is a brilliant way of keeping in contact with potential site users.
19. Invite site visitors to register if they wish to be kept in touch with your website.
20. Rent targeted e-mail lists.
E. MISCELLANEOUS STRATEGIES
21. Promote your site in mailing lists and news groups and discussion forums. The lack of public visibility is a drawback to WebCT. Comments fromforums often feature prominently in search returns. [At the seminar we agreed that it would be desirable to have a public forum in which outsiders can participate. It would be interesting to have their views and the content they help to create would start to appear in Google’s search returns. The bulletin board or Forum for course matters should be separate and security-protected.]
22. Announce a contest - people like getting something free. [How about a Britain’s Worst Website competition, with a new category each month? What could the prize be? A baseball cap emblazoned with www.websitearchitecture.co.uk ?]
23. Ask visitors to bookmark your site. Put in a link which can be clicked to automatically bookmark your site. [Good idea]
24. Exchange ads with complementary organisations. This is time-consuming but very rewarding.
25. Devise a viral marketing strategy. This requires something on the site which gets people talking and telling their friends ‘you must see….
F PAID ADVERTISING STRATEGIES
26. Buy a text ad in e-mail newsletters.
27. Begin an affiliate program.
28. Purchase pay per click (ppc) ads on Google.
29. List your products with shopping comparison bots and auction sites.