Here's your NoSpin Debunker for March 24, 2003

Help People Find Your Web Site
Search Engine Optimization: The Basics--Part III


This Debunker is Part III in the series, "Help People Find Your Web Site." If you haven't already, you may want to take a look at both Part I (a "test" of your overall search engine optimization knowledge) and Part II, an introduction to "key words." In Part II, I discussed how to identify "key words"--those sets of words that people type into search engines to find your kind of company, expertise, products and services. Not the words you'd like them to type in-but rather, what they really do type into their favorite search engine. Part III discusses how to put those key words to work.

Putting Key Words to Work on Your Web Site

The number of key words can vary significantly based on the breadth of your company and its product(s) and service(s) offerings. But if you're new at search engine optimization and key words, start out with no more than 5-10 groups and no more than 5-10 key words per group (you can always expand and change them later). Prioritize them on the basis of 1) your judgment regarding those words that will bring the "best" visitors to your site and 2) actual key word metrics e.g. on Overture (see Part II) or Wordtracker. Remember, you are going for "quality" of visitors first and quantity, second. A firm specializing in collectible Barbie dolls will be better served using more focused key word(s) such "collectible," "collect," "collector," "old," "vintage," etc with "Barbie doll"--vs just "doll" or just "Barbie doll" (which might generate more traffic, but less quality traffic).

OK, Let's say that you've developed a good laundry list of key words, grouped them, and prioritized them (by group and within groups). If you'd like a copy of the key word spreadsheet I use, please email me. Now what? What do you do with these groups of "key words" that can be so valuable in enabling search engine to find and place you urls?

Put your top key words into your <title> tags on your web site urls and in the actual content on your site. And don't do it after-the-fact-after you've developed a new site or major site revision. Work on your key words up front-and then continue to hone and change them as necessary over time.

<Title> Tags <Title>

Title tags are the sets of words that appear at the top your browser (e.g. the thin blue Microsoft Explorer bar) and are the words that appear when you bookmark a url (any page on your site). They are the words that appear in between the <title> and <title> "tag" in the html code near the top of every page on your web site (which even non-techies can easily view by going to View/Source).

All very interesting, but the main thing here is that these tags are THE most critical words for search engines on your whole site-by far. If you want more quality visitors, your title tags must include your best key words.

The common mistakes that the huge majority of sites make with <title> tags are:
  • Having no title tags at all
  • Using the company name, only
  • Using the company name to start each tag
  • Using the generic name of the page (e.g. "homepage," "about us," "products", etc)
  • Assuming that only the homepage title tag matters
  • Thinking that other "meta" tags are "magical" words that search engines look at-and "stuffing" those tags with lots of key words

Title Tag/Key Word Instructions:

  • Use your highest priority words on your key title pages-e.g. homepage, and wherever else your best content appears
  • Start your title tags (per page on your site) with your best key words
  • Match key words with other in your content (see below)
  • Use different key word sets on your different url's (no reason your key words sets need to be thesame on your homepage as other pages)
  • Don't repeat the same key word phrases in the same tags
  • Use less that 60 characters
  • Don't capitalize your key words
  • Put your company name in a couple of your <title> tags but not your top pages (until your company/products are truly well known "brands")

As one example, take a look at the key words at the top of my web site pages at www.nospinmarketing.com. I'm continually adjusting them, but you can get an idea of what I'm currently using.

Your Web Site Content

In addition, you have to include your best key word sets in the actual words that people see and read on your site. That is, the actual viewable (html) content. When you write a good web page you are writing for BOTH search engines AND actual prospects. Search engine computers continually crawl the web and use ever evolving search algorithms to index and place url's according to their respective relevance to a "key" word or words that may be input into a "search" box. Every top search engine scours the actual site content when calculating its listings and rankings.

As I stated in my last Debunker, I firmly believe the some of the best market research information is free on the web: search term suggestions and metrics e.g. from Overture, (or at a very reasonable cost, and in more detail, from Wordtracker). The more key word analysis work I've done, the more striking it's become to me that that writing effectively for search engines forces one to write better marketing copy in general. Key word analysis tends to siphon off the hyperbole and waste inherent in so many marketing messages-and to focus on the customer versus the company. Analyzing and then building key words into your web site content (and other marketing) forces you to communicate-how THEY think, talk, and perceive (vs how YOU think they should)-without the hype and spin. And it helps search engines find you.

The common mistakes that the huge majority of sites make with their web site content are:

  • Emphasizing words that YOU think are sophisticated, professional, cool, hip, salesy, etc to describe your stuff vs how others are more likely to describe your (type of products and services)
  • Putting key words in graphics files (like FLASH) instead of html code
  • Not using the right key words on EACH of your urls (versus only your homepage)
  • Repeating key words excessively on any one page(s)
  • Again, thinking that "meta" tags are IT for search engines, vs. actual content

Web Site Content/Key Word Instructions:

  • Repeat your best key words that you used in your title tags in your web site content (or vice versa)
  • Use key words toward the top of your page-ideally in headers and ideally in the first 5-10 lines.
  • Use key words not only the central part of your pages but also the left side since search engine crawlers read left to right--the same as people
  • Don't try to put every key word set on the homepage or every page
  • Selectively use key words per page, in context, that describe the content on that particular page
  • Put your company name (and tag line) near the top of your pages-in addition to other key words

A Key Word Illustration

Say you are a very sophisticated, successful marketing/advertising firm in Atlanta, and you decide that to be different from the pack you're really in the business of "business to business persuasion." Fine, that can be your company tag line and part of your pitch, but when it comes to search engine optimization, no one types "business to business persuasion" into search engines. Literally, not one person typed those words into Overture or a major affiliated search engine last month. Nearly 143,000 people typed the word "marketing" (alone or in combination with a wide variety of other words that help better hone down "marketing" such as "Atlanta marketing" or "business to business marketing" or "B2B" marketing. So on your homepage, although you may still fell compelled to describe yourself differently (as an "a business to business persuasion" outfit) if that's your only message or if you are not using a number of other key words, you aren't going to get much traffic to your site.

Summary

Are key words in title tags and web site content THE only things that you need to pay attention to get more of the right folks visiting your site? No, but you will make a quantum leap in your search engine optimization if you do implement key words on your site.

And remember these key word groups and key words themselves are a starting point, only-not an ending point. You'll need to continually monitor your web site traffic, too. The real proof will be in the pudding re: what happens to your traffic, leads and sales over time.

Note-it's also not a bad idea to include key words, as appropriate in your url names, themselves (again vs just generic page names).

Next time we'll talk about another very effective application of key words: Pay- per-click to drive targeted traffic by "bidding" on your key words. Please takes this week's 5-second NoSpin Poll: If your company competed directly vs. French or German products, would you be willing to play the "made in America" card when marketing your products or services?

Tom Ranseen
NoSpin Marketing