0113 234 3300
Last year Google rolled out the use of Breadcrumbs in their Google Search Results. Some people felt that having Google essentially “rewrite” their URL was a bit out of order. However there are some benefits from the breadcrumbs.
In this ebay example for the search term “buy golf clubs“, their link show their result as a Golf Clubs Buying Guide. However, there is also a breadcrumb link of “Buy” which brings you to the ebay search page. It also shows a link to
Most people get into SEO by through necessity; by trying to push their own site up the rankings with little or no budget. Hence this is why many become obsessed with onsite factors – something they can learn and do without spending much money. For many, going out into worldwide web, spreading the word and getting those links seems far too much like hard work.
However, there’s no way around it. Learning the tricks of getting links is the most important thing you need to know when doing the SEO for a site by yourself.
I could give you examples of how to email people in order to do this etc. et.c, but it’s pointless me telling you. I’ve seen these tips given out (such as using a made-up girl’s name!) and now they don’t work as everyone is doing them. You have to find what works for you by experimenting. The only advice I can give you is to try and be original. The best way to do this is though making your request personal and relevant.
The same goes for blog comments or forum posts. Be original, sincere and relevant. Then the chances of your point of view being deleted as spam are much slimmer.
The key also is not to feel overwhelmed – link building is not an impossible task. To build, you have to do so block by block. If you set yourself a target of 2 or 3 links a day and just keep chipping away then you can still make a good contribution to optimising a site.
This is a question I often ask myself. As far as I can see, the answer seems to depend upon two factors – the emergence of real time search and how SEO progresses within the marketing mix.
At present it is impossible to see beyond Google when looking into the future. However, the emergence of a viable competitor does not seem as far off as it did a year ago. The merger of the Bing and Yahoo could make an impact – as long as they stop trying to play catch-up and start looking beyond existing search conventions.
One avenue that looks like it could impact upon Google’s quality-weighted algorithm is real-time search. At the moment, real-time search doesn’t offer much in terms of value for businesses. This is because of its current prominence in the social media sector. The failure of businesses to convert social media into revenue means that the connection between real-time search and revenue has not really been made.
In order for SEO to become a fully integrated part of the marketing mix, it must pay more attention to how it fits itself in with overall marketing strategy.
A main element that is currently neglected by SEO is brand.
SEO can no longer simply be about achieving brand awareness, as the methods it uses to achieve brand awareness encompass a far broader spectrum of brand components. Does our SEO strategy fit in with the brand values – is it fun, forward thinking or environmental, for example? What about our interaction with others? And which links will support the brand image?
At present, these questions are ignored by many in the SEO community, but it could be the missing piece in the jigsaw. Thinking about these questions will allow you to work with bigger brands – brands that have developed beyond a mere logo and into a philosophy. A philosophy that you must become part of…or at the very least, compromise with!
It may blur the lines between SEO and other marketing functions, but Google dictates this must be so in order to be successful in the rankings. Buying or reciprocating links will not work for the bigger clients with the popular keywords.
As such, marketing is beginning to realise that SEO is no longer the little brother that can survive off pocket money – it has grown up and must be invited to the party. But to make sure it’s invited back, it must behave appropriately! And this means paying attention to the needs of the brand it’s working with.
These seven steps assume you’ve been given a fully finished site to optimise and you don’t have much time! Follow them and you can’t go far wrong.
1. Decide which pages will focus on which terms
This is crucial. Choose no more than a handful of terms per page. I am a believer that landing pages are for SEO as well as PPC (those who disagree can berate me in comment section below). Ensure this strategy does not become confused, with more than one page focusing on exactly the same key phrase - focusing on longer-tailed key phrases is fine though.
2. Alter page titles
Put priority terms at the front end of the title and make sure they are written with word proximity in mind. The closer together the words within the title, the better the effect on the ranking of the phrase combining those words. For example, the title ‘One two three’ is likely to have better rankings for the phrase ‘one two’ than the phrase ‘one three’. Also, phrases that are entered after the first 60-70 characters will be far less effective than those within the first 60-70 characters.
3. Write keyword rich content
Don’t over-do it on the key phrases but make sure there are a couple of each in there. At least 250-300 words on each landing page is best, though every little helps.
4. Ensure there is no duplicate content
Make sure there is only one version of each page – use .htaccess to redirect and robots.txt to exclude where necessary. Ensure identical content isn’t elsewhere on the web with use of Copyscape or simply by copying and pasting the text into Google. Make sure there is only one version of your homepage – Google views http://yoursite.com, http://www.yoursite.com, http://www.yoursite.com/index.html and http://yoursite.com/index.html as 4 different pages. Make sure it knows which one you prefer by using Google Webmaster Tools and the .htaccess file.
5. Insert relevant headings
Make sure there are headings on the page containing the key terms - but also ensure they do not exactly match the page titles.
6. Insert relevant meta tags
Write an interesting 120 character-long meta description mentioning relevant key terms. Ensure that the meta keywords tag does not mention anything that isn’t actually mentioned in the body of your content.
7. Upload sitemaps
Xml sitemap is vital to inform Google about your site structure and URLs. Html sitemap is useful.
Blueclaw specialises in SEO, PPC, Conversions and Ecommerce feel free to subscribe to our updates.
Qualified Adwords Company
Edward: You are so cool! I do not suppose Ive learn anythi...
Patrick: Some pretty useful tips there thanks. Ecommerce SE...
Glenn: Very interesting reading. It looks like the direct...