101 Search Engine Marketing Opuses

Search Engine Marketing 101: What Search Engines See When They Visit Your Web Site

If you have a Web site, have you ever wondered what a search engine sees when it visits your site to add the site to its index? Do you know that it doesn't see the beautiful graphics or the fancy Web design? Do you know that it only sees the source code, or the "skeleton" of your Web site?

Do you realize that knowing this little tidbit of information and doing something about it can make a huge difference in your search engine rankings and, ultimately, the success of your online business?

One very important thing that you need to remember is: the search engines like simplicity. The simpler your Web site is, the easier it is for the engine to determine what your Web site is about. And, if the search engine can determine exactly what your Web site is about, you have a better chance at top rankings under the keyword phrases that are important for your online business.

Let's look at this concept in action with a page I recently created for one of my online businesses: Search Engine Workshops.

http://www.searchengineworkshops.com/articles/search-engine-seminars.html

As you can see, it's a very plain, simple page that was not created to be the "main" or "home" page of a Web site. Rather, it was created to pull in traffic through the keyword phrase, "search engine seminars."

What I really want you to see is the source code of the page. So, when viewing the page, click on View on the top menu bar, then Source or Source Code.

The most important part of a Web page is what appears at the very top of the page. Why? Because a search engine starts at the top of the page and begins moving down as it indexes.

So, what appears in the section of your Web page is very important, because the section is at the top of the page.

Let's look at the section of the source code:

Search Engine Seminars--your path to success on the Web!

There are only three tags in the section of this Web page: the title tag, the keyword META tag, and the description META tag. Because the title tag is in the section, and because of the importance that most engines place on the tag, it is considered one of the most important tags on your page, so it should always be the first tag in the section.

Notice that in the title and keyword META tag, the important keyword phrase (search engine seminars) appears as the first words in the tag. In the description META tag, the keyword phrase is still toward the beginning of the tag, as opposed to the end.

In other words, where you place your keyword phrase in the tags and content of your page is important. If you place your keyword phrase toward the beginning of all of your important tags and toward the beginning of the contents, you're "proving" to the engines that the page is really about that particular topic.

I've mentioned one reason why the title tag is important, but there's another reason too. The title tag is important because it almost always appears as the title of the site in the search engine results. Your description META tag may appear in the search engine results as well and is considered important by the some of the engines. So, when you create your title and description tags, remember two things: put your keyword phrase toward the beginning of the tags, and make the tags captivating and designed to pull in traffic.

Think of it this way. If your site is #10 in the search engine rankings, but if the sites above yours haven't gone to the trouble to create appealing titles and descriptions, a search engine user may skip over those sites to visit yours.

Now, let's go back to the source code. Look for this tag, which isn't far from the tag:

This is the image, or graphics, tag for the Search Engine Workshops banner that appears at the very top of the page. Notice that the engine doesn't "see" the graphic itself. It sees the name of the graphic (banner3.jpg), and it sees the ALT text that describes the image. It sees the width and height of the graphic. But, it doesn't see the graphic itself. So, the engine doesn't know that the graphic says, "Search Engine Workshops."

Next, look for this tag, which directly follows the image tag:

Search Engine Seminars

An tag is a heading tag, and heading tags are very important to a Web page. Try to put a heading tag at the very top of your page, if at all possible, and use your important keyword phrase in that heading tag. When you look back at my actual Web page, do you see the words "Search Engine Seminars" right under the graphic? That's the heading tag.

Now, look for this tag in the source code:

Is your Web site achieving the success that. . .

This is where the contents of the Web page begin. Look on the actual Web page and find the text: "Is your Web site achieving the success that . . ." Notice that the keyword phrase (search engine seminars) appears in the first paragraph.

In other words, with all of these tags and the placement of our keyword phrase in the page's contents, we're proving to the engines that the page is really about "search engine seminars."

So, let's visit your site on the Web. View the source code. What's in the section? Are your title and description tags using the keyword phrase that's important for that particular page? Are your title and description tags captivating and designed to pull in traffic? Each page of your site should have different title and description tags, and those tags should be based on the focus of that page - what that page is really about: in other words, its keyword phrase.

How many graphics do you have before the actual contents of your site? If you have a lot of graphics, navigation bars, or buttons before the contents of your page, the engine has to sort through all of that source code before it gets to the actual keyword- containing content.

Does your page contain lengthy JavaScript or other code that pushes the important contents toward the bottom of the page? If so, it could be hindering your chances at top rankings.

Are you using a heading tag that contains your important keyword phrase toward the very top of your page? Is your keyword phrase used in the first paragraph of the page? Is it used in several places throughout the page?

Look back at my page. Notice that the keyword phrase, search engine seminars, is used as link text to describe several links. Are you using your keyword phrase to describe links that are leaving the page? If not, try to do so.

Study your own site carefully, and apply these guidelines to your pages.

Doing whatever you can to push your important keyword phrase toward the top of the page and toward the beginning of your tags is the first step toward having a successful Web site that's ranked in the top of the search engine rankings.

If you would like to learn more about how to achieve top search engine rankings, visit: http://www.searchengineworkshops.com/articles.html

Or, sign up for online training at: http://www.onlinewebtraining.com/courses.html or 3-day search engine marketing workshops at: http://www.searchengineworkshops.com.

Author, Robin Nobles, Director of Training, Academy of Web Specialists, has trained several thousand people in her online search engine marketing training programs: http://www.academywebspecialists.com. Visit the Academy's training site to learn more: http://www.onlinewebtraining.com. She also teaches 3-day hands-on search engine marketing workshops in locations across the globe with Search Engine Workshops: http://www.searchengineworkshops.com.

AdWords Selecting Ode

Google's AdWords Select(tm) Groundbreaking Program

One of the absolute best online marketing processes available to any business today is Google's AdWords Select advertising program. It produces immediate results within minutes after being setup, drives highly qualified traffic via selected keywords and can be monitored and modified on a 24/7 basis via Google's excellent online interface. There are no hidden fees - it costs a mere $5. USD to setup a campaign and requires a credit card submission at startup. We highly recommend this interactive marketing process to all of our clients and incorporate an AdWords Select component with all of our marketing campaigns.

Google's Pricing Model

Google charges you on a CPC ("Cost per Click") basis - you only pay for each clickthrough to your web site from Google's, no more no less. You don't pay for "impressions" (number of times someone views your ad) like many first generation Internet advertising models - it's truly a results driven marketing process.

Keywords costs can vary tremendously ranging from $.05 to $11. USD or more per keyword - Google assigns a "minimum cost per click" for specific keywords based on "market value" and "performance history" via Google's AdWords Select program history. Be prepared to pay a much higher rate for very popular keywords and this is a moving target all of the time - the more popular this program becomes the more you will be forced to pay for selected popular keywords.

Creating your Sponsorship Ad

Your Ad's position is based on a combination of the CPC ("Cost per Click") you selected and relevancy of your ad - if your ad and keywords are relevant and drive clickthroughs, then your ad will rise in position on the sponsored column versus your competitors. This is an innovative feature and helps to distinguish Google's program from all other PPC ("Pay per Click") campaigns (Overture and their primary competitors) - most of these programs have an "economic bias" built into them; i.e. whoever pays the highest fees gets the top placement.

Dynamic Ad Placement

Google's unique AdWords Discounter keeps track of your costs per click versus your competitors. You select the maximum amount you want to pay for your keywords and the ranking algorithm keeps track of your keyword costs, ensuring you only pay one cent above the CPC ("Cost per Click") cost you specified when you setup the campaign versus your competitors.

Setup Process - Sponsored Link Ad and Keywords

AdWords Select is based upon driving highly targeted traffic to a web site via a set of keywords that are selected via Google's account management interface. There are two primary components to the setup process, creating your "sponsored link" ad and selecting your keywords. You start by creating a "sponsored link" ad that is subsequently inserted into Google's search results on the right hand column - targeted by keywords that you have selected. It only takes a few minutes to have your campaign go "live" after you've completed the setup process.

It's very important to spend quality time creating your sponsored link as this is the "online ad" that people will view in the midst of search results and competing sponsored links (in some cases). You have the ability to create a short headline coupled with two lines of text with approximately 35 characters per line - the headline must be succinct and hard hitting and the related text should backfill the headline with supporting words that convey what goods or services your company provides.

Keyword selection can be the most daunting task for setting up a new campaign - be prepared to spend some focused time working through multiple keywords to find those that you can afford. It typically takes 1-3 hours to find 10-20 keywords that are relatively low cost - however, if your budget is open-ended and you have sufficient marketing funds to pay $1-8. USD per keyword then it can take much less time. Your market focus is also another important variable that can impact the keyword selection process - if you're in a narrow market niche with only a small number of competitors then it is much easier and faster to setup a campaign.

Finally, be aware you can find some keywords that are very inexpensive, but Google will disallow these if they don't drive a minimum clickthrough amount of roughly less than 1% - you can start off with them, but they will be turned off after 7-14 days if they aren't driving sufficient clickthrough volume.

Wordtracker Keyword Research Tool

You may want to utilize other keyword analysis tools that will give you a broader selection and help you to understand what keywords are popular and searched on, which in turn ensures the keywords you do select will drive traffic and will not be disallowed by Google. Wordtracker (www.wordtracker.com) is an industry standard keyword analysis tool that those of us in the online advertising world (and many others) have used for years to help us understand what keywords are popular - their service is very low cost and easy to utilize via their web site.

Author, Lee Traupel, has 20 plus years of marketing experience - he is the founder of Intelective Communications, Inc. http://www.intelective.com a marketing services company which provides strategic and tactical marketing services exclusively to small to medium sized companies.

Domain Expired Poem

New Service To Capture "Recycled Traffic"

Find Expired Domain Names with Built-in Traffic and Search Engine Listings

The most valuble commodity on the internet today is search engine traffic. Unfortunately, most of the traditional options for developing search engine traffic are expensive and time-consuming: You can pay large fees to a search engine optimization firm, bid for high placement on the major engines, or pay $299 to Yahoo (and wait a few months) to be listed in their directory.

Now, an innovative new service offers a better solution: Purchase "Recycled Traffic". Every day, hundreds of domain names are left to expire by their previous owners. Many of these domain names are already listed in Yahoo and other directories, and some receive search engine traffic. Rather than condemn all of these would-be visitors to frustration and a "Page Not Found" error, why not purchase the expiring domain and graciously redirect them to your own site?

This is the insight behind Recycled-Traffic.com, a new service offering a user friendly, searchable index of expiring domains. The site’s search tool lets webmasters find expiring domains according to keyword and search engine ranking.

For example, a recent client searched the listings to see if they could pick up a little recycled traffic for Sedo.co.uk, a leading domain broker, and found the name "CCWorld.cc", formerly a site selling .cc domain names ("hey, perfect!") with a respectable link popularity of around 700. Sedo.co.uk dropped a few bucks to renew the name, and CCWorld.cc now sends about 25 targeted visitors per day their way. Not too bad for less than 10 bucks a year!

You can try out the search engine yourself for free at http://www.recycled-traffic.com/, but the actual domains are hidden until you become a member.

Author, Steve Palmer, has been a part of the dot com start-up craze for the past 5 years. A business development and marketing wiz, Steve has a knack for recognizing evolving internet trends and capitalize on them with methodical drive: http://www.recycled-traffic.com.

Love Making Serenade

What is the Best Position for Making Love?

Ever wondered which is the most sexual and feminine sexual position?

Well, the award undoubtedly goes to the missionary position! Yes, that old and boring man on top that can bring more satisfaction than you could imagine. No acrobatic positions, no pain and struggle, just complete focus on the pleasure sex should bring to both the partners.

This position is both feminine and erotic. It offers the perfect environment for a woman to feel loved, taken care of and close to you at the same time. The missionary position is also the most comforting to finish for the woman and, with a little communication, for the man as well.

If you're still not convinced maybe you should fine-tune it a little bit.

A couple of hard pillows under her hips and the difference will make her moan with pleasure.

You can gently spread her legs or just suggest her she should wrap them around your waist.

Put one or both over your shoulders and you'll get the effect of a turbo engine.

With some training and patience this position will soon become number one. And all of this because it is perhaps the most adaptable one. Everybody can feel great while making love in the missionary position.

Many women find it easier to have an orgasm in this position because they are more relaxed and don't have to think about their performance as in other positions. All they have to do is close their eyes, sit back and relax while the orgasm slowly surrounds them.

This position can give the woman plenty of clitoral stimulation if the man leans forward thus rubbing his pelvic bone against her clitoris. It also allows the manual stimulation of her clitoris. The missionary position is just great for those who love intimacy during sex as they can remain face to face while making love and enjoy each other as they reach orgasm to the full. The man can kiss and caress the woman, touch her breasts and abdomen while she can touch and rub his head, shoulders, back, and butt.

If at any time during sex in the missionary position you need to make a little change, you can always roll around and shift into a different one without too much trouble. All of this adds variety to a position many consider to dull to bring pleasure.

All in all, the missionary position feels so natural and erotic that it could never become obsolete.

Want to learn even more awesome positions to drive both her and you wild?

Written by Caterina Christakos, published author and dating coach. For your free Seduction manual go to http://www.what-women-want.com.

Love Verse

Conquering a Woman's Heart

Conquering a woman's heart is for many men more or less some kind of a minefield. Certainly, women contain every ingredient needed for making a Molotov Cocktail, and the key is to handle them gentle enough not to set them off.

Applying to animals and humans alike, instincts gave women the privilege of picking while men the "honor" of doing their best to convince them that they are the best choice possible. Although it might not seem such an easy job, it comes with our own nature. More than that, as the Bible says, women were created from and for men.

Don't let yourselves fooled by all those saying that they have the secrets needed to get any woman and become modern Don Juans. The only secret I can think of is being yourself. The rest is, believe it or not, pure and simple human psychology.

Just to give you an idea of how simple it can actually be, I'll just list a few of the things needed for the "big conquest". Before attempting anything, every man should keep in mind that the times when males stood up on a heap of dirt and showcased their powers are long gone. You don't have to prove her anything! Instead, make her want to discover your qualities.

PATIENCE. This is not a hit and run thing and showing some patience tells the woman that you could represent more than just a waste of time. Forcing a woman into something she does not want to do is a major mistake that will most likely cause irreparable damage to the relationship.

HUMOR. Aside the relaxed atmosphere they create, funny guys inspires optimism and positive attitude. After all, do you like a woman that always complains about something?

WITS. Without some activity in your brain she could take off before you know it. Nevertheless, a savant attitude will most likely make her feel bad and underestimated. Keep in mind that women fight for equality and never try to show her what an undiscovered genius you are. After a couple of minutes of relaxed, humorous and subtly witty chat she will figure you out by herself.

SENSITIVENESS. Despite some opinions, women DO like sensitive men. Nevertheless, there's a big difference between a sensitive man and a weak man. Let her feel that she can rely on you, that you're always on top of the situation but you can listen to her problems and maybe even help her out sometimes.

GOOD LOOKS. You don't have to be Brad Pitt to be considered good looking. What matters most is the way you let her understand that you take care of yourself. A clean and tidy person will most likely have a clean and tidy relationship.

PUNCTUALITY. Men are NEVER allowed to be late while women HAVE to show up a little late so the man knows she is still to be conquered. More than that, it is the woman's way of letting you know she was preparing herself to look her best for you. You should never come up with excuses for being late, even if they might be true. Any excuse is just as pathetic as the next one, so if you think you can't make it in time simply let her know with some time in advance.

The list could go on and on but the idea behind everything is the same: always be yourself, treat her as your equal and understand her as a human being and not as a good catch. Women always sense these things even if you don't say them out loud.

Written by Caterina Christakos, published author and dating coach. For your free Seduction manual go to http://www.what-women-want.com.

Wonder Woman Opus

7 Things You Must Know About Women

Most men find women mysterious and confusing. You find us difficult to figure out. It isn't your fault. It's not like anyone gave you a guide book on women in highschool to study.

Here are some of the mysteries about women revealed:

1) Before you even get to the door most women wonder if you are Mister Right.

2) She is just as anxious as you are about your first date.

3) Women like your undivided attention. Pay attention to what she has to say and she will be more interested in hearing about you. Also keep your eyes on her. Eyeing any of the other women in the room is a definite way to make that first date your last.

4) After the first date women pretty much know if and when they will sleep with you.

5) Many women don't want to get married or at least not as early as they used to. Many women are staying single into their late thirties in favor of pursuing their own careers.

6) A woman can complain about her family all she wants but the second you criticize her family start packing your bags.

7) Asking a woman if you are the best she ever had is pointless. We will lie to avoid hurting your feelings. You will never know if you are the biggest, the best or last the longest.

Written by Caterina Christakos, published author and dating coach. For your free Seduction mini course go to http://www.what-women-want.com.