The three keys to search engine optimization
This weekend I was talking to the founder of a software company which fights e-mail spam. Eventually, he started asking me how I optimize pages for the search engines.
I said, I first start with keyword analysis. How are Internet users finding your product, or even more important, products like yours? What keywords do they use in their phrases?
Once I have a good understanding of this, I start building web pages or even entire websites around these keywords, so that every link, every piece of content is coordinated and aligned with these keywords. I'm not trying to trick end-users, I tell the founder, I'm trying to answer their questions and resolve their needs as quickly and as efficiently as possibly.
Once the site is complete, I continued, I try to build quality links, but just I started explaining my process for link building, he interupted me.
"You wanna know an easier way," he asked me.
"Of course," I replied.
"Just create a blog about your particular market and add keyword links to your site," he answered. "That's how we dominate search."
"For how many keywords," I asked?
"Well you have to pick keywords," he responded. "You can only pick so many, such as your name."
"So you dominate keywords related to your name?" I further asked.
"Exactly."
"And all that other traffic is left to your competitors?"
"Well, our product is better."
At this point I just shook me head, but I was thinking to myself, 'no wonder your company isn't more successful' (I'll start prospecting him later this week).
Then today, I check my ClickZ news and I read the article, The Most Important SEO Strategy, which is almost exactly what I told the software vendor.
If you want to commit to a search engine optimization program, it isn't black magic. SEO programs take research - lots of research - and just as much hard effort.
Of course, you can always hire a black-hatter and get expelled from search engines completely - then you won't even have to worry about search engines any longer.
I said, I first start with keyword analysis. How are Internet users finding your product, or even more important, products like yours? What keywords do they use in their phrases?
Once I have a good understanding of this, I start building web pages or even entire websites around these keywords, so that every link, every piece of content is coordinated and aligned with these keywords. I'm not trying to trick end-users, I tell the founder, I'm trying to answer their questions and resolve their needs as quickly and as efficiently as possibly.
Once the site is complete, I continued, I try to build quality links, but just I started explaining my process for link building, he interupted me.
"You wanna know an easier way," he asked me.
"Of course," I replied.
"Just create a blog about your particular market and add keyword links to your site," he answered. "That's how we dominate search."
"For how many keywords," I asked?
"Well you have to pick keywords," he responded. "You can only pick so many, such as your name."
"So you dominate keywords related to your name?" I further asked.
"Exactly."
"And all that other traffic is left to your competitors?"
"Well, our product is better."
At this point I just shook me head, but I was thinking to myself, 'no wonder your company isn't more successful' (I'll start prospecting him later this week).
Then today, I check my ClickZ news and I read the article, The Most Important SEO Strategy, which is almost exactly what I told the software vendor.
If you want to commit to a search engine optimization program, it isn't black magic. SEO programs take research - lots of research - and just as much hard effort.
Of course, you can always hire a black-hatter and get expelled from search engines completely - then you won't even have to worry about search engines any longer.
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