More Secrets to Search Engine Optimized Content

This is the second part to the “Secrets to Search Engine Optimized Content” post. In the first installment we talked about target keyphrases and optimal content length, and how to properly incorporate these two factors to enhance the user experience. The days of keyword stuffing and overloading a web page with pointless information are long over. The idea of catering to the user experience again surfaces in our goal to create search engine optimized content.

3. High Quality Content

If content is king, then great content would make for a great king. Quality writers who can actually write at a high level will be in demand, and this ability will become essential to the success of next-gen SEOs. The basis for high quality content (other than the betterment to user experience) is the linkability factor.

Whether search engine optimized in the traditional sense or not, well-written content lends itself to being respected and thus linked to from other sources.

(Read more…)

Tags: SEO, web development

Yahoo Glue Pages - Universal & Blended Search

Riddle: Ask.com has well-organized ones, Google has ugly ones, and now Yahoo is implementing them too. What are they?

Answer: Universal search result pages (a.k.a. blended search or federated search).

Universal search pages, or as Yahoo calls them, "Glue Pages," have been showing up on Yahoo India late last week. While still in beta, Yahoo’s Glue Pages appear much more like Ask.com’s SERPs than Google’s. And since I’m still looking for a way to opt out of Google’s hideous universal search, Yahoo’s Glue Pages are a leap ahead along with Ask.com’s SERPs.

(Read more…)

Tags: Ask, Google, universal search, Yahoo

Three Tips for Optimizing Paid Search Campaigns

In addition to search engine optimization, there exists the pay-per-click / paid search / paid inclusion branch of search engine marketing. We’ve all dipped our feet into search advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Yahoo Search Marketing or Microsoft adCenter (or even more vertical-specific networks).

Certain keywords can get quite costly, so here are some tips for optimizing paid search campaigns and getting the most bang for our budget bucks. These tips all center around efficiently allocating our funds.

1. Choice of Network

AdWords campaigns can be specifically targeted to the search network (i.e., in the SERPs), and/or the content network (i.e., in AdSense). Similarly, Yahoo Search Marketing campaigns can be directed to their search network and/or their content network (Yahoo Publisher Network). The search network is generally where you’ll get better conversions and ROI, so bid up if you’re exclusively advertising there.

If you’re still advertising in the content network, then be sure to exclude poor sites from it using site exclusion options.

(Read more…)

Tags: adCenter, AdWords, pay-per-click, search traffic, SEM, Yahoo Search Marketing

Cinco do Mayo? Ask.com Misspells.

While the rest of the world celebrated "Cinco de Mayo" yesterday, Ask.com’s homepage flaunted a "Cinco do Mayo" as seen below.

It was probably just a hasty typo and I don’t think anyone will (or should) be fired over this, but let’s poke some fun at Ask for the oversight anyway.

Random thoughts that come to mind:

• With such a small percentage of the search market, who really cares whether Ask can spell or not?
• Now might be a good time to boost Ask.com’s staff from 460 to 461 people.
• Ask.com’s new focus of catering their search engine to women has taken priority over proofreading.

Today, Ask’s homepage has a link to a news story about Cyclone Nargis’ impact on Myanmar (Burma), and a link to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent societies.

Tags: Ask

Secrets to Search Engine Optimized Content

We have all heard the phrase "content is king," and unique content indeed reigns supreme. However, beyond the mantra of writing highly unique content, exists additional SEO copywriting secrets. Some of these "secrets" are simply SEO guidelines that simply get neglected from being applied to the art of copywriting. Let’s look at some applications of SEO in generating search engine optimized content.

1. Including Target Keyphrases

Apart from achieving a moderate keyword density for your target keywords, you should be including your target keyphrases as well. (You should be doing this concurrently). Your title and header tags need to include your main keyphrase, which should also be sprinkled throughout your content. Other ingredients to your search engine optimized content cake are variations to the main keyphrase, along with secondary target keyphrases.

Note: It’s perfectly alright to deviate slightly to secondary keyphrases, as well as overlap keyphrases between pages on your website. If anything, this will make your entire website more relevant and help maintain authority.

(Read more…)

Tags: keyword research, SEO, web development