Tag Archives: SEO
If Seo is Dead? 10 Questions
Google Personalization has raised various questions in SEO Professionals that how it is going to impact SEO work. It looks like main SEO activities are going to be dead. Following are some questions I collected from different articles and forums.
- If everybody is going to see different search results based on their searching patterns, how can you measure a consistent ranking? How can you reach an audience if their search queries are already personalized to show your competitor’s brand?
- On page optimization and link building will no longer have as much influence on rank for competitive search queries?
- Clients who opt-ín to personalization will get awkward results, for example, if they visit their own sites often, they will see it on Top in Results. Even it is not supposed to be to others. And they will feel like no improvements needed, as their site is already doing god in ranking.
- Companies / brands with greater traffic have a better chance to gain new business because searchers will see more impressions of snippets to their sites. This creates branding opportunities via snippets.
- It will become even more difficult to rank for generic keywords and search phrases (as larger brands will tend to dominate based on market search share), meaning long tail search queries will become much more important in an SEO campaign.
- Pay Per Click advertising will become more popular as people find organic SEO too complex and useless. Google is making way to raise its income.
- Usage of different SEO tools to check Rank and Backlinks, etc will become useless, as search results will no more based on these factors. I think i will have to cancel my SEOmoz Ranking
- If you have good brand awareness now, your site will be above and above in search results. Sites which don’t have good ranking right now will go down and down. It will become more and tougher for them to rank better. So new sites will have tough time to compete.
- Black Hat SEO and such viral software will become common that install on visitors computers and affect their searches.
- Social Media will be only internet marketing tool that will provide a way to increase brand awareness for new companies and affect Google results largely.
Google Live Search – Every Second Update can be searched now (Impact On SEO?)
Google has launched a new search engine on Monday Dec 07, 2009 that will facilitate to search every update on internet live.
This new search engine can search Facebook and twitter updates also.
Google says, this new search engine will next another two days to be available to all over the world.
The experimental search-by-sight feature, called Google Goggles, has a database of billions of images that informs its analysis of what’s been uploaded, said Vic Gundotra, Google’s vice president of engineering. It can recognize books, album covers, artwork, landmarks, places, logos, and more.
“It is our goal to be able to identify any image,” he said. “It represents our earliest efforts in the field of computer vision. You can take a picture of an item, use that picture of whatever you take as the query.”
However, the feature is still in Google Labs to deal with the “nascent nature of computer vision” and with the service’s present shortcomings. “Google Goggles works well on certain types of objects in certain categories,” he said.
Impact on SEO:
As i discussed in my previous aricle about Google Personalized Search and its impact on SEO, i believe next era is of Social Communities. In future, 90% of SEO will depend on Twitter, Facebook and other such communities and 10% on On-Site Optimizations.
Anchor Text – Everybody makes this mistake
Do You know which are the most popular anchor texts? You will not believe that, as i did. These are “Click Here” and “Read More”.
If you Google the word phrase “click here” the first page is Adobe Reader. See the proof by clicking this link.
Now if you see the #1 site on that page you will get this page: Adobe Reader . But that page has no words “click here” on the page. It is ranked #1 because millions of websites have a link on it that reads: “Click here to download Adobe Acrobat Reader”. Because millions of websites name their link “click here” it is ranked number one. Now imagine those same websites had the link: “Web Designer UAE to download Adobe Acrobate Reader”. The site that the words “Web Designer UAE “links to would be #1 anytime someone Googled “Web Designer UAE“.
Now just look at your own website, how many time “Click Here” and “Read More” are used? These are just useless phrases taking away your most important SEO Juice. No Body will use these phrases to search you.
Link Building – Important Strategies from Bing
Previously, SEO Companies & Experts were always following Google guidelines to find out how our SEO efforts should be. Google always shaped the SEO activities.
But now Bing is also in the battle. For First Time, Bing has provided really valuable information for Link Building. Rick DeJarnette of Bing Webmaster Center has shared some dos and don’ts of link-building for Bing. Most of these does not differ too much from advice that Google would give you. It is, however, still always nice to see how they feel, just to clear up any possible confusion.
Like Google, Bing places great emphasis on quality links to determine its rankings. “Just don’t make the mistake of believing it will result in instant gratification. Successful link building efforts require a long-term commitment, not an overnight or turnkey solution,” says DeJarnette. “You need to continually invest in link building efforts with creativity and time.”
Google announces new search tools to counter-fight Wolfram Alpha
Days after Wolfram Alpha was described as ‘Google Killer’, Google upped it ante in the ‘war of the search engines’ and released a new set of tools.
Wolfram Alpha, the new computational search engine, is set to go live on Monday May 15 at 7pm CST. The search engine, which is based on Mathematica and founder Stephen Wolfram’s own New Kind of Science, will provide users with answers to factual questions, unlike Google which simply provides websites which may or may not contain the required information. And far from worrying about possible technical glitches that might disrupt the launch, Wolfram has decided to film the whole process for users to watch. He said: “We hope that it’ll be interesting for people to join us as we work through these in real time.”
Quick SEO Tip: URL canonicalization and 301 re-dirrect
Canonicalization is the process of picking the best url when there are several choices, and it usually refers to home pages. For example, most people would consider these the same urls:
www.example.com
example.com/
www.example.com/index.html
example.com/home.asp
But technically all of these urls are different. A web server could return completely different content for all the urls above. When Google “canonicalizes” a url, we try to pick the url that seems like the best representative from that set.
It does not matter if you pick proper URL canonicalization pointing to the www’s or non-www’s, but you need to pick one and stick to it. I personally always choose the www’s because more people (from my experience) tend to link to you with the full URL.
Why canonicalize?
Its all about SEO. As you know linking is most important SEO activity. If two sites are linking you, one at wisacc.com and one at www.wisacc.com, Google will consider then two seprate pages, and your home page will not reap the benefit of two links. So be sure that any variation of the homepage URL needs to be redirected to one URL, whichever you choose.
Any extension of your URL like:
• http://www.example.com/index.php
• http://www.example.com/index.htm
• http://www.example.com/default.html
• http://www.example.com/default.php
• http://www.example.com/anything (that goes to homepage)
All need to be pointed to the main – http://www.example.com (without any extensions). You also need to make sure that you don’t have any dev links that need to be 301-ed to their new addresses so you don’t have any bad or dead links on the site.
How to canonicalize?
You can handle all these changes via the .htaccess file. Here is a little code that can help you:
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^yourdomain.com
RewriteRule (.*) http://www.yourdomain.com/$1 [R=301,L]
(Make sure your Apache installation has mod_rewrite enabled.)
As long as your Apache installation has mod_rewrite enabled then you should be able to use this fix on almost any host.
Note: use these two lines to redirect all variations of home page seprately.
Activity Based Advertisement By Google
From Today you will see google ads based on your activity history on Internet. Google will show ads based on your Web browsing history. Google action has raised privacy concerns even Google is taking measure to be careful.
The new program, called “interest based” advertising, is being rolled out on a test basis across Google’s network of partner websites and on its video-sharing site YouTube, according to an announcement on Google’s blog on Wednesday.
The move comes a few weeks after the Web search leader’s smaller rival, Yahoo Inc, unveiled its own advertising enhancements, which rely on an individual’s online activity.
While behavioral ad techniques have been around for several years, some past efforts have raised privacy concerns, and Google has refrained from offering such advertising until now.
Until now, the types of text and display ads that Google served to Web surfers were based solely on the content of the specific Web page being viewed by an individual.
With behavior advertising, Google and advertisers will be able to consider an individual’s broader history of Web surfing when deciding which ads to pitch.
“If, for example, your history shows to google that you often search for real estate sites and often visit them, Google could show you more ads for Real Estate.
Advertising based on consumer interest or behavior have the potential to increase consumer response and so-called click-through rates, which translates into higher ad revenue for the sites.
Google said it has three key safeguards: consumers can choose to opt out of the program; consumers can edit their profile of preferences based on online activity; and consumers can click on a button to learn how an ad was pitched to them. But Of course, most users won’t bother to opt out, and they simply won’t care about what info Google is storing on them. Warning signs on cigarette packs don’t stop most people from smoking, which is proof enough that warnings often aren’t enough to change people’s habits. So proper method is that instead of opt-out, Google could have made the program opt-in, by asking users whether they want to join the program or not.
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Off-Page SEO :: Over 200 Directories to increase your link Popularity
Relevant Links with proper Keywords is one of most important criteria Google rank your site high.
Here is a list of over 200 directories and sources that can be used for Link Building. Most of them are Free and with Fast approval rate. However, some directories are paid. Some can also ask you for reciprocal links.
What’s Next?
Don’t rely on in-experienced Web Designers and amateur SEOs. If you are interested in partnering with a firm that understands the needs of a modern website and well experienced SEO then Wisdom IT Solutions LLC is here to help. Feel free to check out our website or contact me today at khuram@wistech.biz to learn about how we can help you meet your goals on the web. We have local support in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, UAE.
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Linking Strategy for SEO? Five Don’ts
SEO Linking Example by Google
Links can Destroy your Page Ranks. I know you don’t believe that, as most SEO Guru says, “90% of SEO is about Links”. It is true, but you have to very careful with links, as Search Engine may penalize you for bad links.
Following are five Linking techniques, that should be avoided strictly.
1. Link Farms:
Just Stay away from Link Farms. Don’t have any link To or From Link Farms, as rather than increasing your rank, it can destroy your existing rank. Google refers these sites as “bad neighborhoods” and if you link to them, you will end up with a lower Page Rank. Must choose linking sites carefully. If you suspect that a site you want to link to is a “bad neighborhood”, check their PageRank and see if they commit any Black-Hat SEO Techniques, or you think they might, then you shouldn’t link to them. Remember, you are known from your Company. So if you have Bad sites linking you, you are bad too.
2. Link Pages:
Google value links that are in context and appear related to the page as a whole. Unrelated links, lot of reciprocals, and paid links are penalized. Let me share my own experience with you.
I had a 5 years old website, which was ranking 4 on Google without any known SEO effort. There were only good contents (written for visitors), as I had no idea at that time about SEO, reasonably written Titles and Descriptions. When I heard about SEO, I just started reading articles and starting doing myself without proper training and proper home work. I read some where, about the importance of Links, and I found sites that facilitate you to exchange links. Created a link Page and started exchanging links. In few months, my page Rank was down to 3.
Reasons:
- Google Hate Reciprocal links. And make its algorithm intelligent enough to find such linking strategy. And when they found huge number of such reciprocals, they penalize you.
- Often when you are exchanging links, you don’t care about other site’s rank and it can be a Bad neighbor or site not related to you.
3. Repeated Links:
Don’t link to and from the same site repeatedly. This is also called link spamming. Google will look at the links you have on your page, and only count the one or two towards optimization. If they found so many same links, your site might appear to be a spammer, even if you’re not linking to a “bad neighborhood” or are in a cross-linking scheme. You need to avoid “looks like a spammer”, even if you are not a spammer.
4. Link Circles or Cross Linking:
Google give priority for links, and reward “honest” links, or links that are not paid for. When several sites have links set up in a circular (or more complex) pattern (site A links to site B links to site C links to site A), it can look like you’re paying for links. Don’t assume that because your average customer won’t notice the pattern, the search engine won’t either. If it looks like you might have paid for the links (even if you haven’t) your ranking could be penalized. Remember, “Notorious is bad then bad.”
5. Meta refresh tag to redirect users
Don’t use Meta Refresh tag to redirect your site, as this technique is widely used as Black-Hat SEO technique. Many spammers use them to try and fool search engines into thinking that a page is about one thing, and then refreshing to something completely different. Meta refresh also doesn’t give information to the search engine about why the redirect is occurring. It’s much better to set up a permanent HTTP 301 redirect when you need to redirect your customers to a new URL.
What is Mets Refresh: Meta refresh is a method of instructing a web browser to automatically refresh the current web page after a given time interval, using an HTML meta element with the http-equiv parameter set to “refresh” and a content parameter giving the time interval in seconds. It is also possible to instruct the browser to fetch a different URL when the page is refreshed, by including the alternative URL in the content parameter. By setting the refresh time interval to zero (or a very low value), this allows meta refresh to be used as a method of URL redirection.
What’s Next:
Don’t rely on in-experienced Web Designers and amateur SEOs. If you are interested in partnering with a firm that understands the needs of a modern website and well experienced SEO then Wisdom IT Solutions LLC is here to help. Feel free to check out our website or contact me today at khuram@wistech.biz to learn about how we can help you meet your goals on the web.
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Quick SEO Guide – That work 100% on Google
These are some very basic SEO techniques that 100% work. By using these largely told SEO basics generated great results for me and my clients. I have Top Ten Exposure in Google for number of keywords using these techniques properly.
1. Copy Writing
Properly Written Contents are most important. Learn how to effectively write contents for your website. Contents are far more important than fancy designing. Use Keywords Properly not only in paragraphs but also in headings. Read Seven Effective Copy Writing Tips.
2. Title Tag
Title Tag along can do wonders. And if properly designed with quality contents, it can really win the game. Must use your most important keywords in Title Tag. For Example, if you want to compete for “Accounting Software Dubai”, you can use title as “Best accounting Software in Dubai”. Title serves two purposes. One, help in Search Engine Ranking (SEO), Second when your result is shown, attract visitor to click on link and visit your site. Remember to use different Title Tags for different pages in your site. It will increase your ranking and exposure for different Keywords. 
3. Description Tag
Once again use your most important Keywords in Description. A Properly written Just Like Title Tag; Description serves two purposes. One, help in Search Engine Ranking (SEO), Second when your result is shown, attract visitor to click on link and visit your site. Again similar like Title Tag, use different Descriptions for different pages in your website. It will increase your search engine exposure.
4. Alt Tag for Pictures
If your site has less Keyword density, Alt Tag of images can help a lot. Use descriptive Alt Tags for all images.
5. Internal Likings
All Pages should have clear Text links to each other. Wherever possible, link pages to each other by text in contents. Just take a critical look at this blog post. I have linked my different posts inside and used text links. It will not only help my visitors to get information when needed, but also help me in better search engine ranking for different keywords. Don’t use links in Images or Flash. Read Reasons to avoid Flash.
6. Use of Google Web Master Tools
Google has bunch of Webmaster Tools that are really helpful. Submit site map, and see Basic Statistics about your web pages.
Regularly use Google Analytics to check your progress. It will give you very important data for deciding different aspect of your site. Find which pages are doing good on your site, what is Bounce Rate, which pages are attracting more interest from visitors, etc. It can also help you to cope with some awkward situation as I faced. Read my last post Google Kicked me out.
In my next Post, I will write in detail about Google Web Master Tools, their usage and Google Analytics.
7. External Links
You have good Contents, and your site bring value to visitors, you will automatically get external links. don’t buy links in any case. Also don’t use reciprocal links. Don’t link sites that are not related to you. Remember only Quality links are useful.
However, you can submit your site to B2B Portals, Free Directories like Dmoz, participate in forums and comment on blogs. It will also bring some incoming links for you.
What’s Next?
Don’t rely on in-experienced Web Designers and amateur SEOs. If you are interested in partnering with a firm that understands the needs of a modern website and well experienced SEO then Wisdom IT Solutions LLC is here to help. Feel free to check out our website or contact me today at khuram@wistech.biz to learn about how we can help you meet your goals on the web.
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