Search engine optimization (SEO) is a constantly changing game that requires a great amount of time and effort. It also requires keeping up with Google’s algorithms, which are always in a state of flux and mostly kept secret. Sometimes all of the information floating around out there can be a bit overwhelming, especially when a lot of it consists of outdated or shady methods. Luckily, Google does occasionally speak out about what helps sites rank better in their search listings. And, just as importantly, they’ve also made it clear what won’t affect a site’s ranking – despite what years of myths may say.

Keywords meta tag
At the top of web pages, there are typically a series of tags in the head of the document that store different types of information. Back in the day, one of the primary ways to get your website listed at the top of the search results was to use the keywords meta tag to specify a group of words and phrases you wanted the site to rank for. This is no longer the case today, in terms of Google’s algorithm. Years of abuse by spammers has lessened its value, which led Matt Cutts, a Google software engineer, to go on record in 2009 to say the keywords meta tag is now completely ignored by Google.

Description meta tag
Unlike keywords, Google does still pay attention to the description meta tag. It sometimes uses the information there to display a site’s text snippet in their search results. But they have also said they don’t factor the description meta tag into their rankings. So it’s still a good idea to include a description – just don’t expect it to play a role in how high the site gets positioned in Google’s results.

Robots meta tag
The robots meta tag supports a bunch of different values that search engines take into consideration when crawling the web and indexing pages on a site. For example, you can instruct Google’s system to not index a certain page. Or you can tell it not to follow any links on the page. But the robots meta tag is only necessary when you’re explicitly telling Google NOT to do something. Proactively telling it to index or follow a page won’t have any affect on ranking because it’s already the default behavior.

Submitting a sitemap
Submitting an XML sitemap to Google is absolutely a good idea, especially if certain pages are buried deep within a site’s structure and hard to find. A sitemap also lets Google know when a page was last modified and how important each one is relative to the others. It’s important to note, however, that none of the information in a sitemap will affect the actual ranking of a site’s pages. It merely lets Google know the pages exist, which might help them get indexed. Where they are positioned in the index is another story.

Focusing only on PageRank
PageRank is a proprietary system that was a big part of Google when it first came out. Since it came in a publicly available number, it was a measurable form of success that could be tracked and charted over time. The problem with this approach is that Google doesn’t rely on PageRank nearly as much anymore, if at all, when they determine their search results. They base their listings primarily on relevance, which is not a quantifiable value. Plus, a site’s public PageRank is almost always out of date and inaccurate because Google only updates it a few times a year. It’s a much better idea to focus on offering great content to your site’s visitors rather than chasing down metrics that don’t carry much weight.

Social content sharing is all the rage nowadays and Google wants a piece of it. Similar to the Facebook “like” and Twitter “tweet” buttons that have been popping up all over the web for the past couple years, Google has entered the fray with it’s “+1″ button. It’s all in an effort to make the internet more personalized and community-based, which means the people have the power. And the great thing about Google’s solution is that it could end up driving more search traffic to your website.

What is Google +1?

To give a brief overview of what Google’s +1 is, it’s essentially a way for web surfers to publicly say “I think this is worth checking out.” If a user +1′s your site, they’re endorsing it for their friends, family, and other contacts to see. Google says it’s like giving something your virtual stamp of approval, which seems fitting.

How does +1 work?

In order to use Google +1, a user has to have a free Google profile and be logged into their account. When they search for something on Google and find content they like, they can just click the +1 button next to the search result. Now, when one of that user’s contacts searches for something similar, there will be an annotation under that site saying “John Smith +1′d this”. Naturally, seeing that a friend liked a website would make you more likely to click on it too.

How can +1 help my website?

Google has only just begun rolling out +1 to the masses, so it’s still in the growing stages. But as time goes on, there’s a great opportunity to increase the social buzz around your site. The first step is to add Google’s +1 button to every important page on your website. It should be placed in an easy-to-find location, as long as it doesn’t get in the way of the page’s actual content. This makes it easy for Google’s users to browse your site and +1 it at their convenience.

If your site has seen some +1 action and received a decent number of endorsements, Google will take notice. It tells Google your site is reputable with quality content that its users will find both relevant and useful. As a result, it will be more likely to place you higher in its search engine rankings. Higher rankings means more exposure, which brings more clicks, which brings more leads. Needless to say, there’s quite a snowball effect that can take place.

There’s much more to Google +1, but these are the basics that will help you determine how to best integrate it into your site’s online marketing strategy. Time will tell just how effective it is for users and site owners in the long run, but getting onboard early could be very beneficial in such a competitive marketplace.

It’s not the tool but how you use it.

You can have a group on Facebook, an account on Twitter, a photo collection on Flickr, and a channel on YouTube, but what does that mean to your brand?

Online marketing is more than just creating accounts online and hoping the search engines lead potential customers to them. You have to be active with your fans, followers, and subscribers. Social media is an important part of Internet marketing that allows you to build a more solid brand by having a human connection. Current customers are more likely to suggest your product to friends if they have a good experience.

However, if you leave your accounts idle, you are missing out on communication opportunities. Even if your potential customers don’t need your product or service right now, keeping them posted with fun facts, transfixing trivia, and pensive pictures will keep you at the forefront of their mind when your product/service becomes a need.

Not only that, but the more relevant information you post, the more searchable your brand becomes to potential customers. And with Google as today’s #1 search source, pleasing the Google Search Engine Gods could lead you down a path of Internet sainthood.

Ready? Set? Rock!

Yahoo is planning on making Microsoft’s Bing its new search provider. The effects of this transition are many. But how could it directly affect online marketing?

First of all, there will be a change in traffic from the various search engines. Although many people have switched to Bing, it has not created a threat for Google. However, if Yahoo and Bing combine forces, then Google will have some much greater competition. This will mean that online marketers will need expanding their attention to the other networks if they are already not. Or if they are, it means that they will need to spend more time focusing on Yahoo/Bing.

As rankings vary on each search engine, your rankings may change. If you had good position in Yahoo and poor ranking in Bing, your position will drop and vice versa. Pay-per-click campaigns often reflect your organic rankings when you pay for ads on keywords that your organic rank is not high. So, the changing in rankings in both Yahoo and Bing may cause you to do some revisions in your paid search programs.

In order to stay on top of things, online marketers will need to be revising their client’s current metrics and strategies to see where change would take place.

For more information on the Yahoo/Bing transition, click here.

1.    It’s where the party is at

The major search engines account for over 90% of all online traffic.  Although there are other sites (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.) that bring traffic to websites; Google, Yahoo and MSN still bring the majority.  Did you know that 80% of Internet users start with a search?  Will you be there when they come looking, because they WILL come looking.

2.    Targeted consumers

Those who are searching for YOU, find YOU.  With keywords and phrases that are specific to your industry, product or service, your consumers are looking for you.

3.    Beat your competitors

SEO allows for a very competitive atmosphere.  For once, the smaller companies can beat out the bigger companies if their website bring more value.  Companies that are serious about having a large share of the Internet market should be committed to securing top 10 rankings for their keywords or phrases.

4.    ROI

A well planned, long term strategy can bring return to your investment.  SEO will get consumers to your website and if your business plan works, it will produce results that will keep coming.

5.    Broad presence

You can spread your website presence across a multitude of keywords.  If you have content that covers a large amount of varying content, SEO can stretch your presence across the different search engines.

6.    Unlimited clicks

You won’t have a monthly PPC budget because they are already at the top with good SEO.  Once you have achieved a high rankings, the clicks will keep coming with no added cost.

7.    Quality websites

Quality Content that is well optimized. Websites that have quality content for their users do best in the search engines.

8.    Measurable

With tools like Google Analytics all movement from the search engines to your website and within your website can be tracked.  This really helps you measure ROI.

9.    People choose organic

No matter what study you are reading, most people select the organic search first. Some suggest that 60% of click are on the top organic searches, others say even higher.  Either way, the majority of clicks are on top organic listings.

10.    And most importantly…

Search engine algorithms are always changing. SEO is important to continue doing each month, because what might work this month might not work next month. Being proactive is the best strategy, not reactive when your sites rankings have already plummeted.

At the beginning of this month Microsoft introduced their new search engine – Bing. Microsoft is not using Bing as an attempt to dethrone Google but to offer a more competitive product than Live Search as well as offer a search engine that may give more informative results.

Microsoft says that the search engine is designed to help users “make better decisions.”
The new search engine differs from others because it “delivers answers, not web pages.”  It is designed to help people make purchasing decisions, make travel plans, research health conditions, or find businesses online.  It helps searchers find what Bing believes to be relevant information to their searches.

But what does this mean for online marketing?

As far as SEO is concerned, Bing will present sites that offer quality information, not just sites that have a specific keyword.  “For example, a search for “Britney Spears” may organize by the subcategories “biography,” “videos,” “music” and “concert information.”  This means SEO strategies will adjust in order to optimize Web content for select sub categories, rather than select keywords only.”

Bing takes a valid position to Internet marketing.  As many of us have now noticed, the Internet is now flooded with web pages.  It may be good to have a less diluted search engine available.

Try out Bing for yourself and let us know your opinion.