SEO for Non - Technical People

Many Non-Technical marketing people and senior executives ask Internet Marketing companies to provide bottom-line explanations of what Search Engine Optimization [SEO] is all about and why it is important using terms that are quantifiable and readily understandable. To that end, this document provides straightforward answers to a complex subject.

If you are a person who works in a marketing or executive capacity but are not technically aware of the steps that are taken to produce successful Internet marketing campaigns, you need to first understand that Search Engine Optimization [SEO] is not as mysterious as many have previously made it out to be. In fact, the first thing you need to realize is that Search Engine Optimization [SEO] is a misnomer! Internet marketing people don’t optimize a search engine, rather they make changes to a website that helps search engines crawl, index and rank pages more easily.

In a word… relevancy is a primary key to SEO. Search engines merely try to determine a web page's relevancy to the keyword phrase that was placed in the search box by the potential visitor to the website. When you hear someone speak of the search engine algorithm, it is simply a combination of areas within each website page the search engines review and quantify in order to determine the page’s ranking in the search engine results i.e. SERPS. This document is intended to give you some insight into:

1) A few important SEO components

2) Processes you need to understand when speaking with your Internet marketing people i.e. internal or outsourced, and

3) What they should be spending money on.

Our goal is to make you, the non-technical marketing person or other non-Marketing decision making executive, as knowledgeable as you need to be about Search Engine Optimization. We also provide questions to ask your Internet Marketing team to ensure your online business model is on the right track.

THE MOTIVATION AND DIRECTION [Ensuring we are on the same page…]

So this brings us to the reason why companies MUST subscribe to implementing search engine optimization techniques into their websites in order to be successful. It is about delivering relevant traffic to the website thus creating revenue, adding members, obtaining subscribers, building brand awareness, customer service, creating loyal customers, etc.!

The Keywords, Linking, and Keyword Density topics provide a quick tutorial of the key ingredients found in all good and effective Search Engine Optimization [SEO] programs. This advice will help you and your Marketing Team obtain opportunities, avoid wasting money and get quantifiable results from your Internet Marketing budget.

Remember, SEO combines understanding the technical [science] part of what search engines are looking for in their algorithms with the [art] deliverables re: making modifications to the website that will increase and maintain high rankings in their keyword search results.

KEYWORDS [Selecting and Using the Right Ones…]

Let’s start with the most basic ingredient of any Internet marketing program. You must figure out what words prospective clients are entering into search engines to locate your type of products or services. Picking the "right" keywords is not about what the CEO or other executives think! We can take their opinions and insight into consideration; however, it must be proven by identifying which words are actually being used in recent search engine queries. These keyword phrases must be thoughtfully grouped and integrated into the on-page content found on each page within the website. Placement of these keywords in the page copy, headings and code behind the page are essential to obtaining high rankings.

Keywords Found in the Page Copy

Placing keywords strategically within the page copy is critical to obtaining high search engine ranking. Writing for a website is NOT like writing any other marketing copy. It is not a brochure, press release, catalog or pamphlet. Page relevancy will be significantly impacted by the search engine spider returning your page’s content to the algorithm for analysis and indexing among the thousands or millions of other similar pages. Generally speaking, the use of keywords and variations of specific phrases tells the search engine what you feel is important about your product or service on that particular webpage.

It is important to have a website copywriter create the keyword-rich text for your pages. Even the actual placement of certain keyword phrases within a paragraph or sentence can determine whether it will be positive or have no effect at all. Specially trained Internet copywriters have the ability to write for search engines as well as making the page text easy for the website visitor to read and understand.

Keywords Found in the HTML Code

Placement of keywords behind the page that is visible to visitors comes with very specific guidelines. Namely, you must insert the right Page Title, META Description, META Keywords and Headings within the HTML code that is displayed behind the page that visitors see.

- Page Title: 2 - 6 highly searched keywords found within the page content. The Title is one of the top components search engines look for using their ranking algorithm… pick them carefully.

- META Description: 15 - 20 words describing the page’s primary keyword phrase. Use short statements i.e., "snippets" that include the primary keyword phrases. This is NOT the place to include "brochure-like" information. This is shown as the short descriptive statement in the search engine results.

- META Keywords: A maximum of 1 - 2 keyword phrases. Less than 10 words maximum. Make these words specific to the page content. Don’t repeat.

- Headings: H1 - H2 formatted and bold keywords above the paragraphs. These are like the main subject titles found in textbooks. They should also contain keyword phrases as search engines view them as important in determining the page’s keyword relevancy.

Note: Not all search engines value META data equally; however, it is used within their ranking algorithm and as such… remains valuable.

LINKING [Making Sure Quality and Quantity Match]
This section discusses the importance of the link (sometimes called a hyperlink, or web link). A link is a connection from one webpage or website to another. Although a simple concept, a "quality link" is one of the primary components behind successful (high ranking) websites.

Incoming links are often referred to as "votes" for your website. Search engines consider these votes as a method of validating the relevancy of the data shown on the page within your website. More is better, but the law of diminishing return does apply at some point. Obtaining the highest quality inbound links is the key to high-ranking consideration.

Other than the proper use of keyword phrases as described in the keyword section above, a site’s having a significant quantity of quality inbound links is one of the most important components in obtaining high search engine rankings. Inbound links are the ones that originate on another website or source e.g., 1) a directory listing your company, 2) a supplier’s website mentioning your products, 3) an organization listing your name and URL with a link back to your website, 4) a company who sells or markets related, but not competing, items, 5) articles containing a link to your website, 6) press releases about your website, etc.

MUST ASK QUESTIONS [for the CEO and other Decision Making Executives]

So what questions can you ask your Internet marketing team that will make you feel more comfortable investing significant Company budget dollars into these Internet Marketing initiatives? The following are only a few examples of areas where you can ask questions that will make your team focus on what is important for a successful Internet Marketing program:

- Have we compared the keywords used in our web pages and PPC campaigns with input from client surveys and in-house knowledge bases? Did we take this input and match it against what Google, WordTracker and other keyword research programs that state these keywords are highly searched terms? Have we targeted keyword phrases that will drive the quality traffic we are seeking?

- Have we designed our website with the visitor in mind? What statements are on our homepage [and others] that makes the visitor know that they are at the right place? Have we considered "what’s in it for them" [WIIFM] when they look at our data, products, and services? Have we made it easy for visitors to buy or at least communicate with us?

- Have we built "Call-to-Action" [CTA] statements within the website and PPC ad landing pages? Will these special statements help convert visitors to buyers? How did we determine the "hot buttons" that we believe will encourage visitors to take action? Are our offers based upon facts or subjective input? How do we know the CTA statements are working? How have you tested these offers? Do we measure the success of conversion on the website using website analytical programs?

- What steps have we taken to ensure that we can quantify all website activity? Can we measure visitor activities while on the site? Can we tie the pre-buying [website surfing] activity to a purchase? Can the purchase be connected to the path [and keyword phrase or PPC ad] the visitor took to land on our website?

- If you feel like producing an atmosphere of immediate creativity within your Internet marketing team ask them what they would do if the Company "found a way" to increase their Internet budget by 100%. Have them brainstorm and come up with a "wish list" of Internet marketing activities, it should not take too long IF they are "on top of their game". You might be surprised at what they know and don’t know!

If your Internet Marketing team cannot answer these questions to your satisfaction, it is highly recommended that you immediately retain the services of a professional Internet Marketing consultant or organization. It is no disgrace to hire people who make their living helping companies rank higher in search engine results, convert more visitors to buyers and maximize generating revenue using the Internet. In fact, it is unacceptable not to take this action!

SUMMARY AND BOTTOM-LINE FACTS

Keep in mind that it is highly unlikely that one person can create a website, select the proper keywords, create the on-page copy and develop the statements that will convert visitors to buyers! It usually takes a team of people, and it is critical to follow the processes mentioned above in order to secure high placement within search engine results. Your website must contain the right keyword phrases as they are the foundation of your online business model. These keyword phrases must be used in sentences that make sense and relate to the visitors as well as the search engine spiders that are reading, indexing and ranking your website. You have two "masters" to serve.

Finally, stay involved with the Internet marketing team. Ask them the hard questions. Make sure you don’t leave the creation and maintenance of webpage content to chance. Highly successful websites are based upon delivering quality [and relevant] content. This can be in the form of product descriptions, services, and other supportive information. Stuffing thousands of pages in a website that never get read works against you.

Make sure each person on the Internet marketing team [in-house or outsourced] demonstrates their abilities and understanding in creating and implementing search engine optimization and other Internet marketing techniques or don’t let them do it. Be sure to hire Internet marketing professionals to do the job if you don’t have the capabilities in-house. Too much is at stake to leave this part of your business to chance!

Finally, be sure to hire Internet marketing professionals to do the job if you don’t have the capabilities in-house. Too much is at stake to leave this part of your business to chance! We are pleased to provide you the insightful comments contained herein. Please contact us at www.InternetConsultingAndCoaching.com/internet-marketing-services.html or call us at 631-423-0815 for further discussion on how we might be able to assist you and your team or to review the Full list of PDF documents on Internet Marketing and Conversion techniques.