Raise Newsletter 1.3
May 5, 2009
Search Engine Optimization 101
In the last newsletter we defined terms and discussed three methods for driving traffic to your website through the search engines, natural rankings, paid search marketing and local results. This article will narrow in on natural rankings, how to achieve them, and what they mean. (Read the last newsletter here)
How do Search Engines Pick Their Results?
You type a phrase or question into Google, the results come up and you pick a page to view. How do Google, Yahoo or any of the other engines figure out which sites rank highest for the search queries?
They actually have a very complex algorithm that takes many factors into account. These algorithms are tightly guarded secrets and constantly, but we do have some ideas of things that the search engines look for. One very important aspect that the Search Engines need to see is keywords on the site. This makes website design and copywriting very important. Another factor that can make a big difference is your url name. Putting keywords into the url can be a quick way to get a new website ranked. Inbound links from relevant authority sites are what separates big players from small players. These links back to your site make all the difference and this is what most Search Engine Marketing Consultants provide. The more links back to your site, generally the better the site will rank under a number of keywords.
1. Why do Search Rankings matter?
A website’s ranking in the Search Engines can absolutely make or break a business. Websites that rank in the top three for heavily searched keywords bring in more customers that are actively looking for their product or service. This type of pull marketing can help businesses sell more products, gain more clients, or sell advertising on their web site.
2. So how do you move up?
That’s where a company like Raise Interactive can help. We help companies improve their rankings in the Search Engines but we do a lot more as well. It is important to have a smart strategy when starting a Search Engine Optimization Campaign. You have to pick keywords carefully, and find relevant reasons for people to link back to your site. We monitor traffic to your site and make sure that the traffic that comes to your site is qualified and acting the way we want them to you. It’s important that people don’t come to your site and leave instantly. This is where a consultant like Raise Interactive can really help your site.
Please contact us today for more information:
Raise Newsletter 1.2- How to Drive Traffic
March 17, 2009
How to drive traffic to your website
So you have spent the time and the money to build a website, now how do you get people to your site? There are a variety of ways to bring traffic to a website including advertising campaigns, word of mouth and search engine marketing. Advertising campaigns can be effective, however it is very hit and miss and often goes against what you are trying to do online, be cost effective and track results. Word of mouth is very effective however it is also the slowest form of marketing and probably won’t bring a lot of new visitors to the site. Search Marketing is what Raise Interactive focuses on and is the most effective way to bring a qualified audience to your site. If a visitor comes to your site from the Search Engines it means that they typed in a word or phrase that brought your site up.
To market to the Search Engines it is important to identify some key terms. People always talk about Google and “googling things” online. It is so common because Google holds over 60% of the market share in search engines. The other major players are Yahoo, MSN and Ask. These make up most of the other 40% of the Search Engines traffic. There are also many search engines that focus specifically on certain industries or verticals. Almost all of these engines have both natural or organic rankings and paid search. Many also feature Local Search that might be very important to your business. In the next few newsletters we will focus on explaining how organic search results, local search and paid search results work in deep detail, but first we will focus on defining what these terms mean.
Natural Search Rankings
Natural or organic search rankings are the results that come up on the left side of the page in most Search Engines, as highlighted in the picture. These rankings are based on complex algorithms that the Search Engines have developed based on the content of your site and inbound links to your site. Organic rankings get more than 80% of the clicks on a page and carry the most trust from the visitor.
Organic, Local and Paid Search
Paid Search Marketing
Paid Search is generally on the right hand side and possibly the top of the page. These results are determined by an auction style system; basically clients bid on keywords that they feel will bring qualified traffic to their site. It is more involved, but basically the more you are willing to pay for someone to come to your site the higher you will be in the results.
Local Results
There is a third area of the Search Engines becoming more and more important especially to small businesses and these are local results. Often these are listed at the top of the Search Page. These results show as people type in local city names combined with keywords. It is important that your business is listed there as these are often the first results that people see. These local results often allow you to put in your business hours and coupons.
In the next three newsletters we will examine these three types of results and how you can use them effectively in more detail. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions.
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