Search Engine Basics - What You Need to Know

AIM - Arizona Internet Marketing Specializes in getting Phoenix,
Prescott and all of Arizona on the web.

We are an Arizona search engine optimization company and we understand what is required to implement and maintain a long-term search engine positioning approach.

Our SEO (SEO = acronym for "search engine optimization") techniques adhere to the criteria and rules set forth by the search engine algorithms, and at no time will we use techniques that mislead or "trick" the search engines.

Tricking the engines, or using "black hat techniques," may provide a short-term solution, but will more than likely, get your site banned from the searches engines.

Search engine optimization is a very dynamic and ever changing practice. As Search Engines change their ranking algorithms and new pages are added to the Internet on a daily basis, ongoing maintenance is necessary to provide stability and deep rooted positioning.

Equally important is the understanding of what NOT to do when implementing a successful search engine optimization campaign.

You can have the fanciest website in the world created - but you MAY be wasting your money! When it comes to web design and the Internet you need to be aware of what search engines can read. We often get carried away making our websites look flashy and graphic intense. So why wouldn't that work?

• Search Engines can't read graphics: Text written as graphics won't be recognized by a search engine crawler. That's why we don't overload our sites with pretty navigation graphics/buttons or bouncy words (flash). Our websites are built to work in a search engine.
• Search Engines can't read Javascripts: Sites that rely only on Javascript– or any other output – may not be crawled by search engines.
• Search Engines can't read Flash: Flash files are also elements that search engine spiders cannot read. Many sites these days are created in Flash - since many newcomers to the web think that this is what people want. While that may have been the case a few years ago, visitors today want to quickly be able to find information without hashing through dancing animated files.
• Many Search Engines Don't Like Content Management: You often see "do it yourself" websites offered for sale. Here you can log in, and add or edit your website content pages. While that's nice and convenient, it can be a total waste of money. Many search engines cannot properly index sites that work from this technology.

Some Search Engine "Do's and Don't's"

• DO:
  Carefully choose keywords and phrases to sprinkle throughout your pages and place in your meta tags. However, always remember that site content is king!
• DON'T:
  Rely only on meta tags for your search engine placement. SEO goes way beyond that and some search engines (like Google) barely considers meta tags in their algorithm when indexing, or ranking, sites
• DO:
  Manually submit your pages to the major search engines.
• DON'T:
  Use software to submit your pages. If done incorrectly, you can get your site banned from a search engine altogether
• DO:
  Follow the rules and guidelines of each search engine. This will benefit you in the long run by assuring your pages keep their high rankings
• DON'T:
  Try to fool or trick the search engines. While some tricks may achieve high rankings in the short term - they will eventually catch you and your site could be banned.

Avoid the Sales Pitch Promising "Guaranteed Results":

• RUN, DON'T WALK - You will often see advertisements from "search engine optimization" companies offering a quick fix. Claims like "We guarantee first page rankings in 30 days!" We recommend moving away. And we recommend moving away FAST.
• Guaranteeing a particular ranking in a particular engine is impossible. Search engine ranking algorithms are proprietary and complex, and SEO professionals have no basis for guaranteeing specific keyword performance.
• Search engine rankings vary wildly according to competition for keyterms. They won't tell you for which key terms you'll be ranked on page one. There's a reason. For instance, the term "Computers" is going to be many times more competitive than "Prescott Apple Computer Repair." So without a specific key term agreed on, if you get on page one with the latter term, they have fulfilled the promise. But you don't benefit.
• Software submissions to "thousands of search engines" are a waste. At best they do nothing for premium positions, and at worst can get your site banned from the search engines for spamming them.
• Companies that give these sorts of promises often use "black hat techniques" in marketing your site. These techniques, while possibly effective for the short term, are frowned upon by search engines and considered spam-like. Once discovered, you run a high risk of having your site banned from the search engines as a result.

Below are some of the keys to consider regarding marketing your new or existing website:

• Key Phrases: It is important to identify the most effective key phrases to be found under and then create the right content (text, graphics, etc.) on your web site for these phrases. There are other important factors to consider such as; link popularity, current volume of traffic to site, and the proper "optimization" of your pages to meet the criteria of the search engines.
• Content / Additional Pages: The most important key in getting good search engine rankings is content. CONTENT CONTENT CONTENT. We can't say enough about how important it is that you have the right information (and enough of it) on your web site. Remember, content is king.
• Page Construction: There are many intricate methods that should be carefully adhered to when constructing a website for SEO purposes. Normally there are many details from the meta tags, to the coding methods to the text copy and images that can be altered (without visual changes to the site itself) to enhance search engine rankings. We pay very close attention to how the code is written on your pages.
• Link Popularity: Be sure to create your own network with complimentary businesses. Call them and exchange links. To some search engines, like Google, the more links you have to your site the more "important" your site is. Google uses uses link popularity as one factor in ranking sites.
• Integrate your website into your existing marketing efforts: You might be stunned if you knew how many businesses spend the money creating a website and then don't tell anyone about it!! You should add your website address to all of your marketing materials - invoices, letterhead, print ads, etc. Your web address should appear everywhere your phone number appears.
• Learn about our marketing services and what we can do for you.

What You Need to Know About Your New Website

If you are getting a new website developed, or have had one recently created, here are some facts that you should keep in mind regarding search engines:

• Market Share: At the time of this writing, Google has about a 60% market share of internet searchers. Yahoo is second with 20%. The rest of the thousands of search engines account for the last 20%. Your SEO efforts should target Google. Other search engines crawl Google's results for their own indexes. If you're in Google - you'll shortly be listed in all of the others.
• Don't Expect Quick Results: If you are targeting a highly competitive key term, you could end up waiting a year or more to see yourself ranked appropriately. To battle spammy sites, Google implemented the "Sandbox" - a waiting period for new sites. Be prepared to initially target less competitive keyterms if you have a brand new site.
• Good Content: If you have good page content you will be ok. Google gives favorable rankings to sites that offer visitors good information. Content is king!