Google uses page load speed as one of the signals in their ranking algorithm. While they previously provided an indicator of your sites speed in Webmaster tools, but it wasn’t on-going (they only sampled periodically).

With this announcement, Google has added Site Speed To Google Analytics.

I think page load speed is something everyone should be monitoring, especially if you’re in a share hosting environment (like most of my customers). It will also be beneficial in identifying slower pagers on you site. Monitoring page speed does require a change to your Google Analytics tracking code, I recommend everyone update this ASAP. I am sure the Joomla and WordPress plug-ins will add this feature shortly, but you may want to check to be sure the plug-ins you’re using support this feature.

5/10/2011 Update: Google Analytics for WordPress, by Yoast de Valk now includes this feature by default.

SEM Huntsville, Web Analytics google analytics, page speed, site speed

It is often said that “content is king”. However, more content is not necessarily better. Content must stay focused on the subject of the site. Sections should only contain information that is closely related. Pages should focus on a single topic and contain variations of key phrases to be relevant for a wide range of searches.

So how do you create great copy?

The key to creating great content is to think in terms of solving a problem. Then describe the problem and the solution in generic terms. It’s fine to use industry phrases if those are the common terms a prospect would use to find your products and services, but unless your product names are as ubiquitous as Kleenex or Xerox, you need to avoid terms that are specific to your company.

The Sales Funnel (Awareness, Interest, Desire, Action)

Keep the sales funnel in mind. If you write to improve your prospects understanding, they will be more aware of the size and scope of the problem. Their interest and desire to find a solution will grow and finally they will take to action to solve it.

The Search Funnel

The Search Funnel views the Sales Funnel from a keyword perspective. When a person starts looking for a solution to their problem, they start with very general terms and then get more specific with their searches as they learn more about terminology, brands and model numbers.

Perhaps you started with a broad search phrase like “rank better in Google”, and as you read through the results, you determined that what you needed was “search engine marketing” or SEO. Then maybe you searched further and determined you wanted a “link building” or a “pay per click” campaign. Keeping this in mind will help you write content to capture searches at each stage of the sales funnel.

Remember there are different types of buyers

When describing your products and services remember that people approach a problem from different perspectives. End users will want to know how your product or service will benefit them. How it will make things better, easier, faster. While technical buyers will want to understand how it works, the specifications and why that product or service is technically superior. And a financial buyer will want to know why your approach is the most cost effective solution. Addressing each of these mindsets in your copy will not only result in more content, but content that will capture a more searches, and close more business.

Last but not least, consider hiring a professional copywriter to create or polish your copy. A copywriter brings an outside perspective that is almost guaranteed to root out needless jargon and confusing terminology.

SEM Huntsville, SEO Huntsville Buying Funnel, Quality Content, Sales Funnel

My clients will tell you that I am always preaching the importance of site architecture (or information architecture). Your site’s architecture, links, and navigation communicate how information is related within your site. Each page in your site passes rank to the pages beneath it. If your site lacks organization, Google must rely on other factors to determine the importance and relationship of your pages.

WordPress and SEO guru Joost de Valk has a great write-up on this topic. http://yoast.com/site-structure-seo

Google’s Matt Cutts discusses site architecture here: http://www.stonetemple.com/articles/interview-matt-cutts-012510.shtml

I encourage new clients or anyone wanting to improve their rank to start with a Website Audit. The audit examines the way people you use your site, the keywords and topic of the highest importance and makes recommendations for what an optimized site structure would be.

SEO Huntsville, Web Analytics audit, information architecture, site architecture

Google takes its signals from a variety of sources and Linkedin seems to high on its list. I just read a piece by Ron Jones on updating you LinkedIn profile. I would add that if you don’t have a company page, you should create one and ask your employees to update their profiles to ensure that they they are linked.

Also a good article on Marketing your business on Linked in

SEM Huntsville

There’s a great Google Webmaster Help thread about a sketchy SEO firm. You know firms like this, ones that promise “first place in Google search results guaranteed”.

Ok there are dozens (hundreds?) of firms that promise results like this. The problem is that these sketchy “black hat” SEO tactics can work for a while. Truthfully, you may see great results from these shysters for six months or so until you trip an circuit breaker in the algorithm and your website disappears from the Search Results entirely.

Anyone making grand promises or quick results should be avoided. Going down this path is like gambling, the allure of a getting a quick and easy return can suck you in, but ultimately the results can be devastating.

The Google Webmaster Help thread is particularly entertaining, because one of these sketchy companies gets outed by Google’s spam master, Matt Cutts. Barry Swartz of Search Engine Roundtable covers the discussion here.

SEO Huntsville back hat techniques, first place results, SEO Huntsville

Optimizing your site for search can be a daunting task.  Here is a list of eight things you can do to help your content rank better in Search Results.

1. Optimize the Structure of Your Site (Information Architecture)
   Clearly communicate the organization of your site through navigation, breadcrumbs, and file path.
2. Organize Your Content
   Display whatever you are promoting by category and cross-link to related categories to support searches for category, location, country of origin, brand, etc.
3. Use Relevant Page Titles
   Use title tags and page names that match page titles and contain key search terms.
4. Create Meta Descriptions
   Meta descriptions are displayed in search results and search terms are emboldened in the listing. To promote your content, carefully word meta-descriptions to contain key phrases and entice the reader to click.
5. Organize Your Copy
   Every page on your site should be viewed as a potential entry point for your site. Summarizing the topic at the top of the page not only helps the searcher determine that they have come to the right place, but also help search engines understand the focus of the page and pushes key phrases to the top of the page.
6. Fatten Your Content
   Expand content to cover topics from different points of view. Discuss topics from the perspective of how it will benefit the user, how it will save money for the financial buyer, and list specifications for technical buyer. This will enable your content to rank for a broader range of phrases and appeal to more types of buyers.
7. Grow Your Incoming Links.
   Registering with Google Places is critical for local businesses, but adding your company to industry directories helps provide support for location, industry, and category related phrases. Grow relevant links to your site by participating in discussions on industry blogs and forums.
8. Create an Ad Campaign
   No site performs well for all search terms. Even a modest ad campaign can help you fill the gaps in your content and can be used identify additional phrases that drive business to your site.

SEO Huntsville Search Optimization, SEO Huntsville

Looks like the Yahoo Marketing to MSN AdCenter cut-over is now complete (I had several email notices to this effect this morning). With this change, customers will no longer be able to differentiate bids or ads between these platforms. To make this more clear in the reporting for my customers, I have updated the campaigns that previously read MSN (cpc) and Yahoo (cpc) to display as “Bing (cpc)” in their Google analytics traffic reports.

Several in the industry are reporting wild gyrations in bid prices during the cut-over, so I am not chasing display positions at the moment. I will start to review bids again in a week or so after things level out.

For those of you who don’t know, Yahoo billed in advance, Bing and Google bill in arrears, so some of customers still have a balance at Yahoo. I exchanged email with a Yahoo rep about balances, who says they will not move Yahoo balances to Bing, as previously stated, but will apply any remaining balance to the credit card attached to your account after the cut-over (I expect this 30-60 days from now).

SEM Huntsville adcenter, msn, yahoo marketing

A bounce is a visit to your website that doesn’t result in a second pageview or a desired action. If your site participates in affiliate marketing programs such as Google AdSense, an outbound click may very well be your desired action.

To be able to properly optimize your website and your marketing campaigns, you need to differentiate someone clicking out on an affiliate link from someone who doesn’t find what they are looking for and just leaves. The “proper” way to do that is to either track them as pageviews, with the benefit of being able to tag them as goals but with the disadvantage of inflating pageviews, or as an event.

Joost de Valk talks about tracking affiliate clicks.

SEM Huntsville adsense, affiliate marketing, analytics, google analytics