Introduction:
It is a problem to have identical or near duplicate versions of a webpage available at more than one URL, on one web site or many.
This can be an unintentional issue, because of site architecture etc., or something the webmaster is well aware of, such as syndicated contend and scraped/illegally copied content from other websites.
Canonical URLs
The problem with Canonical URLs, which refers to the issue where the site URLs with and without "www." Are valid and return the same content, is not too much of an issue today, because many webmasters are aware of it.
Google even has a tool in its Webmaster Central application for webmasters to specify which version is the primary one -- the one with "www." or the one without. The webmaster does not have to make any changes to a site code for that. He should, though, because other search engines do not provide a mechanism like Google's.
The solution for this is to specify one of the two versions as the "primary one" and 301 redirect requests to the other. You can accomplish this by code within the web site application or by using special ISAPI filters, such as Helicon's "ISAPI Rewrite" on Microsoft IIS web servers or specifying URL rewrites (mod rewrite) in the ".htaccess" file on Apache web servers.
Bigger concerns are things when it comes to pages with the same content but more than one URL because of the sites architecture. There are various reasons for causing duplicate URLs for the same content. I recommend consulting with a SEO firm for an evaluation of your site, if you suspect duplicate content on your own website.
Website Scrapers and Content Theft
It also became much easier for black-hat SEO to create scraper-sites with the increased popularity of RSS, the ease of syndication and aggregation and "mash-ups". Scraper sites are sites that are thrown together as quickly and as automated as possible to either rank well directly or get users to click on contextual Ads like Google AdSense and generate revenue. The chances are high, because the Ads are the only text that often makes some sense compared to the gibberish produced by the scraper.
Another goal of a scraper site could also be to boost indirectly the ranking of a more hidden site. The scraper site simply links to that other web site from multiple pages.
Those sites are a bad experience for the user in most cases and Search Engines try the get rid of them in their index as good as they can. Because of this struggle, become legit webmasters more often a victim of the circumstances than they should what increases fear and mistrust between search engines and webmasters.
Duplicate Content Detection
There are some duplicate content detection tools for webmasters available. Not just to detect duplicates on your own site, but also stolen content from your site by scrapers and other webmasters. One popular and free web based tool is Copyscape.com.
Legal Steps against Content Theft
There is not very much you can do about scraped and stolen content from your site, but it makes sense in some of the cases to have your lawyer send a DMCA notice to the copyright infringing webmaster and also his hosting provider (if known).
You can download the details of the federal Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) at the following URL at Loc.gov: http://www.loc.gov/copyright/legislation/dmca.pd
Friday, August 31, 2007
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
A Brief Explanation of Linking Strategy for SEO Beginners
Every webmaster learns, sooner or later, that a good linking strategy is Essential to getting a website into a higher position in the Search Engines. In case you are new to internet marketing, this is because having links pointing to your website on other websites increases the "value" of your website in the perception of the Search Engines. There are two types of link: reciprocal links and one way links. With a reciprocal link, you have a link on your website pointing to another website and the owner of that site reciprocates by having a link pointing back to your website. The best links from the point of view of Search Engine Optimization are one way links.
Reciprocal linking was once an important part of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) work nowadays it is considered to be less important but there is still a place for reciprocal linking because reciprocal links still affect placement in the Search engines even though Google discounts them. Reciprocal linking is free and is easy to manage with the help of reciprocal linking software.
One way links are very valuable and, the higher the PR (page rank) of the site providing the link back, the more good it does your website's Search Engine importance. One way links can be obtained by paying a webmaster to place your link on his website and there are Link Directories that will include a link to your site in return for payment of a fee (normally renewable annually).
It is possible to obtain free one way links and one of the most popular and effective ways to do so, is by writing articles and submitting them to article Directories. each article carries a link back to the author's website and this strategy is viral. Good original articles will be picked up by webmasters looking for content and posted on their websites, thereby giving you a further free link to your site. Writing and submitting articles can be quite time-consuming but with the help of an article Submission Service, the time required can be greatly reduced.
Another popular way of obtaining free one way links to a website is by submitting your website link to free Link Directories. This strategy can secure you free links from websites with a Google PR as high as 9. The snag with submitting your website to Link Directories is that the process takes a great deal of time and is boring beyond belief. You have to search online for Link directories, visit the site of each one to check to see if your site is eligible for inclusion (some Directories are specialised). Then you have to fill in a submission form on each site.
There are paid services which will submit your website to Link Directories. however, these services are quite expensive and it can be tricky maintaining a record of the Link Directories where your link has been submitted. It is important to keep records as accidentally submitting to a Directory more than once will be viewed as "spamming" and can result in your website being banned from the Directory. The best Linking Services are ones that undertake to submit your website to the Directories over a long period of time and these are the most expensive services, certainly out of the reach of most new website owners. Subscribing to a service that will submit your website to hundreds of Directories at once is cheaper but is a bad idea from an SEO point of view: the Search Engines look for a gradual organic increase in links and a sudden surge of links back to your website will raise a warning flag.
By far the best way to manage submitting to Link directories is by using specialised software to do the job yourself. This way you have complete control over the rate at which the links back to your site are created. The task is much less boring because, with the aid of the software, it takes hardly any time to submit your website to a Directory and you can conveniently spread the work over an extended period.
It is impossible to imagine a way of making linking exciting or even interesting but it is an essential part of the SEO work of any webmaster. Webmasters are fortunate that software is available to remove the boredom
Reciprocal linking was once an important part of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) work nowadays it is considered to be less important but there is still a place for reciprocal linking because reciprocal links still affect placement in the Search engines even though Google discounts them. Reciprocal linking is free and is easy to manage with the help of reciprocal linking software.
One way links are very valuable and, the higher the PR (page rank) of the site providing the link back, the more good it does your website's Search Engine importance. One way links can be obtained by paying a webmaster to place your link on his website and there are Link Directories that will include a link to your site in return for payment of a fee (normally renewable annually).
It is possible to obtain free one way links and one of the most popular and effective ways to do so, is by writing articles and submitting them to article Directories. each article carries a link back to the author's website and this strategy is viral. Good original articles will be picked up by webmasters looking for content and posted on their websites, thereby giving you a further free link to your site. Writing and submitting articles can be quite time-consuming but with the help of an article Submission Service, the time required can be greatly reduced.
Another popular way of obtaining free one way links to a website is by submitting your website link to free Link Directories. This strategy can secure you free links from websites with a Google PR as high as 9. The snag with submitting your website to Link Directories is that the process takes a great deal of time and is boring beyond belief. You have to search online for Link directories, visit the site of each one to check to see if your site is eligible for inclusion (some Directories are specialised). Then you have to fill in a submission form on each site.
There are paid services which will submit your website to Link Directories. however, these services are quite expensive and it can be tricky maintaining a record of the Link Directories where your link has been submitted. It is important to keep records as accidentally submitting to a Directory more than once will be viewed as "spamming" and can result in your website being banned from the Directory. The best Linking Services are ones that undertake to submit your website to the Directories over a long period of time and these are the most expensive services, certainly out of the reach of most new website owners. Subscribing to a service that will submit your website to hundreds of Directories at once is cheaper but is a bad idea from an SEO point of view: the Search Engines look for a gradual organic increase in links and a sudden surge of links back to your website will raise a warning flag.
By far the best way to manage submitting to Link directories is by using specialised software to do the job yourself. This way you have complete control over the rate at which the links back to your site are created. The task is much less boring because, with the aid of the software, it takes hardly any time to submit your website to a Directory and you can conveniently spread the work over an extended period.
It is impossible to imagine a way of making linking exciting or even interesting but it is an essential part of the SEO work of any webmaster. Webmasters are fortunate that software is available to remove the boredom
How to Write Effective SEO Copy for Websites
All websites want to be listed at the top of the best known search engines. Website developers and business owners alike understand that an effective site involves more than simply spending time and money on a good design. The overall goal is to get visitors to the website and then make it 'sticky', using good, solid content to keep them there. In this context, design is only used as a tool to make the content visually appealing to the target audience.
Boosting a company's web presence is a crucial aspect of any good marketing campaign, and search engine optimization (SEO) is how successful websites get visitors, and keep them. Search engine optimization is the art of striking a balance between the words and phrases visitors use in search engines when looking for information, with website content that is written to appeal to site visitors.
The first step in creating effective SEO copy is to determine what keywords or terms site visitors are using to find your website and/or your competition. By using tools such as Hitwise or the less expensive alternative, WordTracker, you can find common terms and phrases your content should be built around.
The top search engines, Google and Yahoo, also have their own useful tools for determining which keywords are being searched on, and how much traffic you can expect to get for certain keywords and phrases. It's often best to be very specific when selecting your search terms too, choosing multiple word keyphrases instead of single words. For example, 'SEO copywriting' instead of just 'copywriting'.
Once your keywords and/or keyphrases have been identified, the next step is to build effective copy around those terms. Building naturally flowing content around specific terms and phrases may take some getting use to, especially if the phrases are a bit awkward. Despite these limitations, try and produce quality sentences. The general rule of thumb is to always write the content that appeals to and caters to your site visitors, even if it's not perfect for the engines.
Discovering which keywords your site visitors are looking for is the first step in writing SEO copy. Writing copy that motivates and interests your readers, while keeping focused on the purpose of the website (based on these terms) is next. Writing effective SEO copy takes time and practice, but the end result is a major boost in both your site's appeal to visitors and its overall search engine
rank.
Boosting a company's web presence is a crucial aspect of any good marketing campaign, and search engine optimization (SEO) is how successful websites get visitors, and keep them. Search engine optimization is the art of striking a balance between the words and phrases visitors use in search engines when looking for information, with website content that is written to appeal to site visitors.
The first step in creating effective SEO copy is to determine what keywords or terms site visitors are using to find your website and/or your competition. By using tools such as Hitwise or the less expensive alternative, WordTracker, you can find common terms and phrases your content should be built around.
The top search engines, Google and Yahoo, also have their own useful tools for determining which keywords are being searched on, and how much traffic you can expect to get for certain keywords and phrases. It's often best to be very specific when selecting your search terms too, choosing multiple word keyphrases instead of single words. For example, 'SEO copywriting' instead of just 'copywriting'.
Once your keywords and/or keyphrases have been identified, the next step is to build effective copy around those terms. Building naturally flowing content around specific terms and phrases may take some getting use to, especially if the phrases are a bit awkward. Despite these limitations, try and produce quality sentences. The general rule of thumb is to always write the content that appeals to and caters to your site visitors, even if it's not perfect for the engines.
Discovering which keywords your site visitors are looking for is the first step in writing SEO copy. Writing copy that motivates and interests your readers, while keeping focused on the purpose of the website (based on these terms) is next. Writing effective SEO copy takes time and practice, but the end result is a major boost in both your site's appeal to visitors and its overall search engine
rank.
Building Backlinks That The Search Engines Love
Building backlinks to your website is highly recommended in the Internet marketing community these days. This practice is especially helpful for the purpose of drawing organic (read "free") traffic to your website. And, if you don't have traffic to your site, you don't have much if earning money is your goal.
By building backlink to your website, you benefit in a number of ways. First, your placement in the search engines can improve, since the number of backlinks pointing to a website appears to have considerable impact on search engine ranking (love). Second, you may also attract traffic, as visitors on the other sites see your link and click over to see what you're offering.
The rest of this article will focus on several backlink building methods that are great for beginners and experienced marketers alike:
Social Bookmarking
There are now literally thousands of social bookmarking sites. These sites offer an opportunity to bookmark all of the websites (including yours) that you find interesting and want to keep track of. Bookmarking your site often means you're creating a backlink too.
Website Directories
These also are in great supply. These sites are storehouses for information about all sorts of websites, sorted by topic. Many allow you to submit your website for inclusion for free and create a backlink if your website is accepted.
Link Exchanges
These are also known as reciprocal links. You allow me to put my link on your website and I allow you to include your link on my site. Reciprocal links are considered more valuable if they are placed on a website whose theme is relevant to yours.
Blog Comments
Many blog owners welcome readers' comments in reaction to their posts. The reader can generally include a website link along with their comment, creating a backlink. Just watch out for blogs that include the "no follow" tag because then the backlink won't count.
Press Releases
Submitting a press release entails writing up a short news story about your website or some of its content. It's a who, what, when, where, and how of something likely to be of interest to the media. As with many of these methods, there are free and paid options. Of course you include a link to your site in your content.
Article Marketing
Some say article marketing is the best method to draw free traffic and ultimately lots of backlinks. The webmaster writes an article on a topic relevant to their site and submits it to one or more article directories with a resource box incorporating links pointing back to the website.
Link Networks
These are typically private networks of blogs or websites on which members can post content which includes a link to their website. Often the blogs that are available in these networks have a fairly high page rank, say PR5-PR7, which is an attractive feature. The value of a backlink can increase if it is placed on a webpage with a higher page
rank
Using all of these methods at the same time to create backlinks might lead to being scattered and ineffective. If you're interested in building links to your website, start with one method, complete it thoroughly and then move to
another.
Of course some of the techniques, like article marketing, are never complete. There is always room for more, so intersperse this with other link building methods. With some concerted effort you will be able to create hundreds
or thousands of backlinks to your website and really feel the search engine love.
By building backlink to your website, you benefit in a number of ways. First, your placement in the search engines can improve, since the number of backlinks pointing to a website appears to have considerable impact on search engine ranking (love). Second, you may also attract traffic, as visitors on the other sites see your link and click over to see what you're offering.
The rest of this article will focus on several backlink building methods that are great for beginners and experienced marketers alike:
Social Bookmarking
There are now literally thousands of social bookmarking sites. These sites offer an opportunity to bookmark all of the websites (including yours) that you find interesting and want to keep track of. Bookmarking your site often means you're creating a backlink too.
Website Directories
These also are in great supply. These sites are storehouses for information about all sorts of websites, sorted by topic. Many allow you to submit your website for inclusion for free and create a backlink if your website is accepted.
Link Exchanges
These are also known as reciprocal links. You allow me to put my link on your website and I allow you to include your link on my site. Reciprocal links are considered more valuable if they are placed on a website whose theme is relevant to yours.
Blog Comments
Many blog owners welcome readers' comments in reaction to their posts. The reader can generally include a website link along with their comment, creating a backlink. Just watch out for blogs that include the "no follow" tag because then the backlink won't count.
Press Releases
Submitting a press release entails writing up a short news story about your website or some of its content. It's a who, what, when, where, and how of something likely to be of interest to the media. As with many of these methods, there are free and paid options. Of course you include a link to your site in your content.
Article Marketing
Some say article marketing is the best method to draw free traffic and ultimately lots of backlinks. The webmaster writes an article on a topic relevant to their site and submits it to one or more article directories with a resource box incorporating links pointing back to the website.
Link Networks
These are typically private networks of blogs or websites on which members can post content which includes a link to their website. Often the blogs that are available in these networks have a fairly high page rank, say PR5-PR7, which is an attractive feature. The value of a backlink can increase if it is placed on a webpage with a higher page
rank
Using all of these methods at the same time to create backlinks might lead to being scattered and ineffective. If you're interested in building links to your website, start with one method, complete it thoroughly and then move to
another.
Of course some of the techniques, like article marketing, are never complete. There is always room for more, so intersperse this with other link building methods. With some concerted effort you will be able to create hundreds
or thousands of backlinks to your website and really feel the search engine love.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
How to Improve Search Engine Rankings
Search Engine Ranking: Why it Is SO IMPORTANT?
Search engine ranking refers to the placement or position of a website in search engine results. Most companies aim to fall within the first 10 of the searchengine results because typical visitor behavior indicates that most people do not go beyond the first 10 results page when searching for something. Essentially it is the first page of the search engine results that offers companies the most visibility and the most traffic potential. Therefore most companies scramble to get a ranking within the top 10 listings. It is what will differentiate between success and failure.
How to improve search engine ranking? With the immense competition and millions of websites, all wanting to get listed in the top 10 search engine results, how does one go about it?
Here in this section we provide some tips and ideas on how to improve visibility among search engines:
Position of keywords: Keywords are very essential for visitors to find what they're looking for on your website. The best place to have these keywords is the title of the article of webpage and the top of the page in the title bar.
Zero downtime: Visitors are impatient and there are loads of websites that can give them the information you're giving. Added to that if your website is going to have downtime and slow pages, it is sure to make visitors disappear. 24x7 uptime is an absolute must on your website.
Easy navigation : Nothing gives a website as much negative publicity as its navigation. If users are not able to find what they're looking for quickly, they will make an exit from your website. Website design is critical in determining search engine popularity. If users are happy with your website design, search engines will automatically favor your website.
The right keywords: : Having the right keywords can mean the difference between an "also ran" website and one that is top of the list. Using overly common keywords risks the chance of being lost in the crowd while using less popular keywords means losing traffic altogether. It is best to use strategic, powerful keywords that stand out, add value to your website and describe what your website offers in as concise a manner as possible.
Meta Tags : These are machine friendly descriptions of what your website is about. They are embedded in the backend HTML coding of a webpage and are used by robots that crawl websites to gauge the popularity of your website.
Avoid overusing graphics: Graphics cannot be read by the search engine robots and hence by overusing these graphics you miss the potential to increase the search engine ranking of your website. It is best to use HTML code as much as possible.
Regularly monitor website listing: It is important to frequently monitor the performance of your website in terms of search engine ranking. In this age of tough competition and websites scrambling to get listed on search engines, it is essential to know where you stand.
Article marketing: Article marketing represents a great way to enhance one's search engine ranking. For this it is essential to write articles on current topics of interest. Also it is essential to use the right strategic keywords for better search engine visibility. While posting articles on article directories, it is essential to post all mandatory information required by the website, as well as ensure strict adherence to website rules and regulations.
Keyword research: Keyword research plays a crucial role in ascertaining the popularity of keywords, which ones are most used by visitors etc. Most organizations spend top dollar in getting access to this information and to enhance their website popularity in search engines.
Incoming links: Incoming links refer to exchanging or purchasing links of other websites to direct traffic to your website. The more the incoming links the better the chances at enhancing search engine ranking.
Press releases: Press releases, although they sound clichéd, are a great way to boost search engine ranking. They provide the latest updates on your website, the latest news and events and other important information which could be of interest to readers. Having frequently changing press releases helps to keep the buzz alive around your website and generates curiosity for website visitors.
Search engine ranking refers to the placement or position of a website in search engine results. Most companies aim to fall within the first 10 of the searchengine results because typical visitor behavior indicates that most people do not go beyond the first 10 results page when searching for something. Essentially it is the first page of the search engine results that offers companies the most visibility and the most traffic potential. Therefore most companies scramble to get a ranking within the top 10 listings. It is what will differentiate between success and failure.
How to improve search engine ranking? With the immense competition and millions of websites, all wanting to get listed in the top 10 search engine results, how does one go about it?
Here in this section we provide some tips and ideas on how to improve visibility among search engines:
Position of keywords: Keywords are very essential for visitors to find what they're looking for on your website. The best place to have these keywords is the title of the article of webpage and the top of the page in the title bar.
Zero downtime: Visitors are impatient and there are loads of websites that can give them the information you're giving. Added to that if your website is going to have downtime and slow pages, it is sure to make visitors disappear. 24x7 uptime is an absolute must on your website.
Easy navigation : Nothing gives a website as much negative publicity as its navigation. If users are not able to find what they're looking for quickly, they will make an exit from your website. Website design is critical in determining search engine popularity. If users are happy with your website design, search engines will automatically favor your website.
The right keywords: : Having the right keywords can mean the difference between an "also ran" website and one that is top of the list. Using overly common keywords risks the chance of being lost in the crowd while using less popular keywords means losing traffic altogether. It is best to use strategic, powerful keywords that stand out, add value to your website and describe what your website offers in as concise a manner as possible.
Meta Tags : These are machine friendly descriptions of what your website is about. They are embedded in the backend HTML coding of a webpage and are used by robots that crawl websites to gauge the popularity of your website.
Avoid overusing graphics: Graphics cannot be read by the search engine robots and hence by overusing these graphics you miss the potential to increase the search engine ranking of your website. It is best to use HTML code as much as possible.
Regularly monitor website listing: It is important to frequently monitor the performance of your website in terms of search engine ranking. In this age of tough competition and websites scrambling to get listed on search engines, it is essential to know where you stand.
Article marketing: Article marketing represents a great way to enhance one's search engine ranking. For this it is essential to write articles on current topics of interest. Also it is essential to use the right strategic keywords for better search engine visibility. While posting articles on article directories, it is essential to post all mandatory information required by the website, as well as ensure strict adherence to website rules and regulations.
Keyword research: Keyword research plays a crucial role in ascertaining the popularity of keywords, which ones are most used by visitors etc. Most organizations spend top dollar in getting access to this information and to enhance their website popularity in search engines.
Incoming links: Incoming links refer to exchanging or purchasing links of other websites to direct traffic to your website. The more the incoming links the better the chances at enhancing search engine ranking.
Press releases: Press releases, although they sound clichéd, are a great way to boost search engine ranking. They provide the latest updates on your website, the latest news and events and other important information which could be of interest to readers. Having frequently changing press releases helps to keep the buzz alive around your website and generates curiosity for website visitors.
What is Search Engine Marketing? (SEM)
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Search Engine Marketing is the process of getting targeted traffic to your site by getting exposure of your site through various channels. Here are some examples of getting exposure for your site:
Search Engine Marketing is the process of getting targeted traffic to your site by getting exposure of your site through various channels. Here are some examples of getting exposure for your site:
- Press Releases
- Article Writing
- Blogs
- Engaging in a link campaign
- Directory Submission
- Purchasing Text Links
- PPC Campaigns
- Banner Advertising
- RSS/XML Feeds
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