Download presentation
Presentation is loading. Please wait.
1
Search Engine Optimization Pete Freitag, CTO CFDEV.COM
2
Why Optimize for Search Engines?
Highly targeted visitors Easily double or triple the number of visitors to your web site. A value added service for you customers.
3
We will discuss… How search engines work How Google works
The Google Page Rank Google IR score How to improve Google results Search engine safe URL’s Search Engine Spamming Conclusions
4
How do search engines work?
Two common types spiders, and directories. Spiders – The search engine runs a program that visits web sites, and stores them in their database. (Google uses a spider) Directories – A hierarchy of categories, that searchers can browse, users enter url’s. (Yahoo is a directory)
5
Spiders Easier to optimize for because they use the same logic to index and categorize each page. Often have very sophisticated filters that can detect if you are trying to trick it.
6
Directories Search engine optimization doesn’t apply here.
Most directories now charge to add a site, the Open Directory (dmoz.org) is Free, and run by volunteers.
7
Improving Results Step 1 – Optimize your Site
Step 2 – Add/Edit your content Step 3 – Submit your site to search engines
8
Google is a good focal point
We optimize based on how Google works for the following reasons. It’s the most popular search engine today Good Google results equals good results from other search engines.
9
How does Google find results?
Google uses two formulas, the PageRank® and the IR score. PageRank is used to determine the credibility of your content. The IR score determines relevancy.
10
Time for some Math The PageRank is defined* by the following recurrence formula: *According to a research paper written by Google founders while at Stanford.
11
What does the PageRank formula tell you
You want pages to link to you that have a high page rank, and a small number of links. The more pages that link to you the better your page rank will be. Trying to get added to pages with tons of links might not be worth your time.
12
More PageRank Info Google does not give dynamic pages (pages with a ? In the url) a PageRank. You can find the page rank any web page by downloading the Google Toolbar (toolbar.google.com)
13
IR Score A relevance score for keywords based on:
Anchor, and Alt text other sites use to describe your site. Page Title (first 40 characters important) Style applied to keywords (large bold words might be counted higher). Other meta data and content is also counted
14
Anchor Text Anchor text is very important, Google’s creators have been quoted with saying: “Anchors often provide more accurate descriptions of web pages than the pages themselves”
15
Page Title’s Use keywords in page titles, and use them first before the company name if possible. For example: “Atomic, K2, Dynastar Skis – Bob’s Ski Store” Many dynamic sites have the same page title on every page! Don’t do that! Include words in page title on the page somewhere
16
Page Title’s header.cfm:
<cfparam name=“pagetitle” defualt=“Bob’s Ski Store”> <html><head><title>#pagetitle#</title>… somepage.cfm: <cfset pagetitle = “Ski Poles”> <cfset description = “Ski poles in all sizes”> <cfset keywords = “ski poles, poles, skiing, …”> <cfinclude template=“header.cfm”>
17
Search Engine Safe URL’s
A URL like: Won’t get indexed by many spiders, and won’t be given a page rank by Google.
18
Search Engine Safe URL’s
Search Engine Safe (SES) URL’s don’t have a ? = or & in them. site.com/page.cfm/id/1 site.com/page/1 A huge impact on the number of hits you get from a search engine.
19
Search Engine Safe URL’s
To create SES URL’s you can either use A web server plugin (ISAPI filter, or Apache Module) Code in your application (in application.cfm, or using a Java Servlet filter in MX)
20
Server Plugins Server plugins are typically much more efficient (better performance) Easier for you (no coding), shifts the work to server admin. Creates a dependency, and decreases the portability of your application.
21
SES Code Solutions Portable
Performance not that great (you have to parse the query string)
22
Server Solutions (IIS)
SpiderSafeURL ISAPI Filter (cfdev.com/products) site.com/page.cfm/id/1 Free and open source C++ code IIS Rewrite tools site.com/page/1 I think MS has a free one, but I cant find it Found two that cost money. Write your own ISAPI filter
23
Server Solutions (Apache)
mod_rewrite Very flexible regular expressions, can be challenging to get it working. Comes with Apache, free. You could also write your own custom Apache Module for better performance.
24
Code Solutions Ben Forta’s article in CFDJ
Write your own, you can do this by parsing the query string and converting it like forta does, or by using a custom 404 page in CF administrator.
25
The cost of SES URL’s Relative URL’s will break when you use SES URL’s. <img src=“../images/img.gif”> <a href=“../index.cfm”> Must be changed to <img src=“/images/img.gif”> <a href=“/index.cfm”>
26
Time to add your URL Use the Google toolbar’s PageRank to prioritize which sites to submit to first. Get in the Open Directory: dmoz.org Find out who is linking to your competitor and try to get linked there as well. link:
27
Time to add your URL Add your site to Major search engines:
28
Spam Search Engines are smart, they can detect if your trying to abuse or trick it. There is a fine line between optimization and spam Optimized pages are carefully written to include keywords, in key places. Spam pages repeat keywords, and aren’t human friendly.
29
Spam Don’t have a list of 1000 repeating keywords in the meta tags.
It’s ok to repeat a keyword once or twice, but more than that might trigger a spam warning. Don’t hide keywords in text (background color same as text color)
30
Spam Don’t add keywords off topic to your page.
If it seams too sneaky don’t do it.
31
Conclusion Use keywords wisely, in the page title, and in the page text. When you submit your URL to another site, use keywords in the title. Remember what Google’s founders say about the accuracy of anchor text.
32
Conclusion Don’t SPAM the search engines Pick keywords wisely
Write content that is targeted to the types of visitors that you want to get.
33
Conclusion SES URL’s alone can double your hits.
Use dynamic page titles Put keywords in bold, or with bigger font faces Work your keywords into the alt tags
34
Conclusion Use Meta Tags Use plural keywords
<meta name=“keywords” content=“a, b, c”> <meta name=“description” content=“…”> Use plural keywords Skiing instead of Ski Use multiple forms of the keyword on a page. (acronyms)
35
Conclusion Encourage people to link to your page, referral programs, or buttons. Even if your site comes up first in the search engine people still have to click on it, so keep page titles readable and full of keywords.
36
?
Similar presentations
