In this issue:
- Does Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Work and Is it Right for My Company's Site?
- Quick Tips: Annual Maintenance Checklist for Your Site
- About Web Insights
Issue 11original publication: January 3, 2002
last updated: February 12, 2004
Feature Article:
Does Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Work and Is it Right for My Company's Site?
by Deborah Christie, POP Interactive
Q Does Search Engine Optimization (SEO) work and is it right for my company's site?
A The answer is a resounding yes. Which is probably why you have already seen many articles on the subject. But before you skim over this one because you think it is not worth the effort or investment for your company's site, consider these factors:
- Search engine optimization works.
- It can be performed at a professional (non spam) level.
- It is appropriate for business-to-business sites.
- It can provide one of the highest rates of return on investment.
- It is affordable even if you have limited marketing budget.
So if you have not seriously considered this as an option for your site in the past we urge you to do so now. Why now? If you are like most website managers, this year the challenge to find cost-effective ways to attract more business through your website is greater than ever -- and hopefully so will be the rewards. SEO provides you with a manageable and measurable way to meet this challenge.
Check Your Current Search Engine Status:
It is a good idea to periodically reconfirm that your site is on the search engines as there are many factors that can cause your site to be inadvertently dropped from a search engine.
- How to Check Your URL
[http://www.searchenginewatch.com/webmasters/article.php/2167861]
- Free Offer from POP - Search Engine / URL Report
We would like to invite you to request a search engine report - simply fill out our request form and indicate "Free Search Engine Report Offer" in the Details box.
[http://www.popinteractive.com/request/index.asp]
How You Can Get Started Today:
Top Places To Submit Your Site
[Editor's Note. Due to ongoing changes with the search engines the below information is subject to change. For current search engine submission guidelines please refer to our downloadable
Search Engine Submission Guide (PDF)
[http://www.popinteractive.com/downloads/SEGuide.pdf]]
Fee-based
- Yahoo
[http://docs.yahoo.com/info/suggest/]
- Looksmart
[http://listings.looksmart.com/?synd=US&chan=]
- Inktomi
[http://ink.ineedhits.com/]
Free
- Google
[http://www.google.com/addurl.html]
- DMOZ (Open Directory)
[http://dmoz.org/add.html]
- Lycos
[http://insite.lycos.com/]
- Ask Jeeves/Teoma
[http://ask.ineedhits.com/sitesubmit.asp?id=30270]
- Fast/All The Web
[http://addurl.alltheweb.com/add_url]
- AltaVista
[http://addurl.altavista.com/]
Note that some of the major search engines (such as MSN, AOL, Excite, etc.) obtain their results from those included above, which is why you do not submit to them directly.
Submitting to Directories
Tools
Below are a few of the basic tools we have found to be invaluable in the SEO process:
- WebTrends
[http://www.netiq.com/webtrends/default.asp]
- WordTracker
[http://our.affiliatetracking.net/wordtracker/af.cgi?2339]
- WebPosition
[http://www.webposition.com/d2.pl?r=KZO-557A]
[Please be aware that we are an affiliate of both WordTracker and WebPosition.]
Search Engine Optimization Services
From time to time Web Insights includes information about POP's services. In this case, with the importance of SEO and the focus placed on it in this issue, we would be remiss if we did not point out that we offer services in this area. If you are interested, you can learn more at:
Quick Tips: Website Annual Maintenance Checklist
There are a few administrative and maintenance tasks to keep in mind at this time of the year pertaining to your site:
Update Your Copyright:
As new content is added to your site the copyright should be updated as appropriate. The syntax for a copyright notice is as follows: Copyright (c) (first date of creation) (owner).
Examples:
Copyright © 2001 POP Interactive, Inc.
Copyright © 2000, 2001 POP Interactive, Inc.
The second example would indicate some of the content was created in 2000 and other content was created in 2001.
Check Your Domain Record:
Do you know if the email addresses, telephone numbers and mailing address associated with your domain record are still valid? We suggest you take a moment now to check your record and update it if necessary to make sure the right people in your company are receiving renewals and other important notices.
Check the Timeframes on Your Site:
Frequently company, management and staff profiles include information stating that the company or an individual has been performing an activity for five years, ten years, etc. Now is a good time to check if your site includes those references and if any of them need to be updated.
Update History and Accomplishments:
Does your company information include a historical timeline and accomplishment information. Now is the perfect time to add 2001 highlights to the list.
Update Your Site Management Tools and Procedures:
Business might have slowed down last year but advancements in Web technologies and tools did not. The start of the year might be the perfect time to explore the options available for managing your site and its content. Based on the size and complexity of your site and your budget, there are a wide variety of tools and approaches that can be used to reduce the cost and turnaround time associated with maintaining and enhancing your site.
From database-driven to template-driven pages, style sheets to site management software there are many practical options for streamlining the management and maintenance of your site.
Copyright © 2002 POP Interactive, Inc.
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