Learn to Survive Google's Latest Update Insanity, with the Tao of
Search Engine Promotion
by Kamau Austin
More Search Engine Optimization Articles
Published on this site: January 2004 - See
more articles from this month
It
is causing a shake up in web marketing circles, and the SEO industry is in chaos.
It's the Florida Update, and many of us in the web marketing industry have been
taken by storm. Google's latest update has totally dismantled certain niche markets,
delivering sparse results in relevancy, not to mention a display of deference
to ecommerce sites. Using Google now seems like a throw back to a researchers
tool, akin to the old days of the scientist and professors exclusively using the
Internet.
While allegations swirl about Google's upcoming IPO and the need
to force traditional SEO sites into the Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising mainstream,
and Internet gurus speculate, postulate, and become apologist for Google's erratic
update, I wonder if Google will ever become again what it once was? Google's claim
to fame was the use of Page Rank to give such good results. Do we know if the
looming semantic web will be an enhancement to Google's algorithm? I know search
engine spam must stop, but is Google's solution worst? Stopping email spam at
all costs has made it almost impossible to run an email business? Is Google, in
a similar fashion, throwing out the baby with the bath water, or killing the golden
goose with its bias against ecommerce sites?
My results have been affected
also however, I suspected that this was in the works, and buffered my ebusiness
from the latest Google update my taking a more harmonized and balanced approach
to web marketing called the Tao of Search Engine Promotion. So sit back and relax,
and forget the stress of the Florida Update. Refocus your energies. Visualize
a high traffic site without the dependence on Google, the new MSN Search Engine,
or anything else on the horizon...probably created by Yahoo! Lets use this time
to reflect on the basics of synergist web marketing harmony.
Why this article
is named the Tao of Search Engine Promotion is because in Search Engine Marketing
we will discuss two forms of promotion:
- Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising; and
- Search Engine Optimization SEO.
My Personal Philosophy
is that you will need to Have Harmony between Hard and Soft techniques, like Ying
and Yang or Male and Female Principles to restore balance in search engine marketing
going forward.
Search Engine Advertising - represents the Yang or Male Principle,
in that is very pro-active, aggressive, and your presentation has to fire the
imagination of the web visitors to get a good response. Pay-per-click (PPC) Advertising
is paying for the click-troughs to your site by the search engines. PPC is putting
your message out to the www in no uncertain terms, to make your statement about
your business. In PPC advertising you control the ranking, message, and cost of
your campaign by bidding against others for your specific search engine key terms.
The major players in pay-per-click advertising are Google, Overture, and Find
What. While on the other hand…
Search Engine Optimization - represents
the Ying or Female Principle in that it is more fluid and receptive to the algorithms
of the search engines, which of course you - do not control. SEO promotion is
using known conventions and in some cases deconstructing the algorithms of the
developers of the search engines and working with them. In other words it is like
Judo where you use the momentum and power of the search engines to build your
business. You will have to be constantly vigilant, in order to try to stay abreast
of the latest developments in SEO promotion.
You have to employ both strategies
at times - and both have their place, in the media mix of your search engine marketing
strategies. We will explore how both can help you drive traffic to your business.
First let's explore some ebiz basics.
Why People Use the Internet?
- Read Email and communicate
- Find Information (not Entertainment)
- Find information to buy something
The Net is Text-centric right now - with
the 4 killer apps being E-mail, Instant Messaging, clicking links and searching
for information. Without these four basic functions the web would not work. This
is important to remember because some people think that Flashy animation, or graphics
are the keys to a successful e business. This is not the case. You have to have
good textual information on your site, that is optimized to be search engine friendly,
if you want high search engine rankings.
What is a Search Engine?
Think
of a search engine as a database with a ranking algorithm (or system) of web sites
that are of a certain quality or meets certain criteria.
In other words,
search engines look for sites it feels will be of value to its customers, which
are Internet surfers searching for information.
The most important concept
to grasp with a search engine, is that it uses an automated computerized system
to find and rank the sites within its database of web sites.
What is
an Internet Directory?
An Internet directory is a large listing of categorized
web sites - however the concept that should be understood with the Internet directories,
is that they actually have editors that decide what goes into the directory. Remember
an Internet directory is decided and managed by human editors, while in contrast,
a search engine is ranked by a computerized algorithm or system. Directories are
important to get links from because, they will raise your rankings in the Google
algorithm (which is based on page rank or links from other sites to a great extent).
Google is the Most Important Search Engine to Optimize Your Site for since
it powers 66% of searches on the web. Google's claim to fame is a ranking concept
known as Page Rank. Which in its most simple form is: receiving links from other
sites as a vote of confidence. The more links your site receives from other sites,
the more it is viewed as an authority site by Google.
Remember Google technology
presently powers the search engines of Google, Yahoo, MSN, and AOL. This is soon
to change, but right now... primarily concern yourself with Google.
However,
since a whole industry was developed to share links, called reciprocal linking,
Google has recently changed its algorithm to filter or penalize for reciprocal
linking. Some people may not agree with this assertion but this is my position
until someone can show me otherwise. Therefore, I suggest writing articles with
link resource boxes and indirect reciprocal linking to build higher rankings.
How do Search Engines Index the Net? They follow links from sites already
in their database. Therefore, if you want to get listed for free, get a link from
a site in their database.
Better yet listed in an Internet Directory because
these sites (since they rely on human editors), are given utmost credibility and
high page ranking status. A link from an Internet directory like Yahoo, Dmoz http://www.dmoz.org
, Joe Ant http://www.joeant.com , or Gimpsy http:http://www.gimpsy.com could be
worth 20 links from an unknown site.
Why are Search Engines Important?
Search engines will drive about 47% of Internet traffic according to
surveys of Internet users. Links will provide about 29% of new traffic to your
site. Therefore a good link based search engine strategy will drive about 76%
of new business to your web site!
How Search Engines Help Pre-sell Your
Products and Services. In contrast to advertising, where people come to your site
or business some what resistant to your perceived marketing message, on the other
hand search engine discovery is viewed more as an empowering and pro-active experience,
by the visitor that discovers your site. You can tap into the more positive flow
of information, your site visitor feels, if you now have a web site that inspires
trust, rapport, and builds a long term relationship with the site visitor. If
you do this you will eventually turn your site visitor into a long time customer.
It
is important to realize that most people will not buy at your site the first visit.
Therefore, make sure you have a way to capture email addresses with a great free
offer, in order to build more of a trusting long term relationship with your site
visitors. It is the only way, in most cases, that you will be able to turn site
visitors into site customers.
Strike a Balance between Pay-Per-Click and
Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
Tips and Tricks in Pay-Per-Click (PPC)
Advertising
- Watch Your Costs because PPC advertising is One of the
most expensive Forms of Advertising
- Avoid Bidding Wars - and bidding frenzy
- Create a Landing Page - with a Most Wanted Response (MWR)
and Backup Response
- Make Sure You Have Site Statistic Software to monitor
conversion rates..by obtaining usable and comprehensive
site statistics
- Do Extensive Keyword Research
- Develop Effective Sales Copy.
- Capture E-mail addresses to Cultivate Trust and Rapport
with your site visitors.
Since
PPC advertising is so expensive use it in moderation by setting daily and monthly
budgets (otherwise for high volume searched keywords you could go broke). After
setting budgets, which you do in the Overture and Google advertising interfaces,
use PPC to test your conversion rates for subscribers, sales, etc., and constantly
monitor it and fine tune it. You want to increase your conversation rates.
This
is critical because as we discussed in our last session the typical major ad agency
or corporate brand only spends $5 - $15 dollars to reach 1000 people(CPM). Although
they may go higher for responsive direct mail lists like $100 or $150 to reach
1000 people. In PPC advertising small business are usually paying at least 35
cents on the dollar (for any word with any real
competition) to reach 1000
people or $350 dollars. I have seen and experienced people paying $2.50 a click
or $2250 dollars to reach a 1000 people. Any small business using PPC should have
an outstanding product ready for prime time to see any return in investment ROI.
Alternately, they should only use it for limited testing or to get a product quickly
to market on-line.
Conversely speaking, SEO is a long term process that
you never really control. It takes about 2 months to see any decent rankings using
traditional SEO. However, once you have a higher ranking it will save you a lot
of money. Furthermore, once you know the basics and constantly keep up on new
developments you can really boost your traffic. SEO shouldn't be your only on-line
strategy because you don't want to put your business at the whims of the search
engines.
Do other forms of web marketing like responsible message board
posts at large portal sites, Web PR, Blog listings, write articles, build ezines
or e newsletters, and buy PPC advertising in moderation and soon you will be getting
thousands of site visitors to your site. If a regular guy from the tough streets
of Bed Stuy Brooklyn can do it... so can you!
Kamau Austin, helps small and minority business make
more money, by creating, search friendly web sites. He is
the owner of www.Ebizbydesign.com
, www.Einfonews.com
, and the creator of the Free Search Engine Promotion Tele-course
at: www.SearchEngineplan.com
. He can be reached at:
973-655-8866
|
