Lesson #20 10 Questions about SE Marketing - Part #2
Written By Cyndalie

Continued from Lessong #19...

06. How do I know what keywords to choose?

As a rule of thumb, the keywords you select to optimize for should be keyword related to the primary content of the page you are optimizing. For example, if I am optimizing a web hosting services web site I will optimize the home page for the primary keyword and phrases related to "web hosting" and sub pages for the specific content/services they address. A page about co-location should be optimized for keyword used in the content of the page and phrases related to "co-location hosting services" or "server co-location".

Ultimately you want to select keywords that appear in the content of the page, that is relevant to the page, and are keywords that are commonly searched for. This question also relates back to Part 1 Question Number 2; the amount of traffic driven to your site from the search engines depends on how widely searched the keywords you optimized and are ranking for. Some tricks to finding out if you are targeting widely searched terms is to; a) search Google and see the amount of result found per keyword/phrase search compared to others; b) use WordTracker.com and search for the keywords you wish to rank for to see how popular they are; c) use Overtures Keyword Suggestion Tool to see the number of searches performed at Overture per month for each keyword/phrase you search.

07. Do Doorway Pages really work?

There have been a number of myths and misinformations coming from self proclaimed "SEO experts" as well as from the search engines, that say doorway pages are dead, no longer effective or just plain spam. These proclamations are false. Doorway pages still work and when used properly, are an effective way towards lending relevancy to your site for an expanded number of keywords, link popularity, and an important part of developing search engine friendly property on the web.

The question regarding the integrity of doorway pages stems from how doorway pages are created and used. My guidelines are simple. Do not create more than 30 static doorway/promotional/sub-feeder content pages per domain name. Use text links to cross link your pages to your site as well as together (sitemaps and navigational menus). Make each page different from the other, targeting separate (yet relevant) keywords and phrases and link each page to the home page and most relevant page of your site in regards to the keywords optimized for - Create, don't just duplicate. A complete guide to doorway pages is here at Cozy Academy located in the Traffic Lounge: Lesson #9 - Creating Effective Doorway Pages

08. How often should I submit to the search engines?

By rule of thumb, submit no more than two pages per domain per day per engine, preferably one URL with www. and the other without (not including sub-domain name submissions). Do not submit more than 30 pages per day total from any singular IP address (computer) to any engine. I'm sure you've all heard me say this before but I cannot emphasize enough: DO NOT USE AUTOMATED SUBMITTERS OR SUBMISSION SOFTWARE. This includes web based scripts!

Search engines say there is no reason to submit every page of your site. Now this is true if you have completely optimized your web site BEFORE submitting even the first page. But if you optimized your index page and submitted it, and then a month later optimized a sub page or doorway page, go ahead and submit the newly optimized page to the engine if it does not yet already appear in the engine (a quick search for your domain name slash page name will pull it if it's in there). Try to avoid resubmitting a newly indexed page if it is already in the engine. Oftentimes a search engines Add URL page is also the Remove URL page, so if you submit a page that is currently in the active index, your submission may remove it.

Now, where to submit? A full lesson with links addressing this topic is also here: Search Engine Overview: Places to Submit for Free . Need help submitting to Yahoo and Open Directory? Check out the Traffic Talk Yahoo and Dmoz.org Submit Guide .

09. What is PR?
PR stands for Page Rank and is a scoring formula used by Google to rank web pages based on popularity, relevancy, and often affects ranking. Google defines page rank as PageRank relies on the uniquely democratic nature of the web by using its vast link structure as an indicator of an individual page's value. In essence, Google interprets a link from page A to page B as a vote, by page A, for page B. But, Google looks at more than the sheer volume of votes, or links a page receives; it also analyzes the page that casts the vote. Votes cast by pages that are themselves "important" weigh more heavily and help to make other pages "important."

This means that a web site with a higher or equal page rank as yours will reflect as a positive "vote" for your site. Linking with other site that have a high page rank can help your own rankings boost in ranking due to the higher popularity votes cast by other well ranked sites. This is a theory and not a one for all solution. Something to keep in mind when searching for link partners.

How do you find the page rank of a web site? Install the Google Toolbar and you will see the PR of each page you visit in your browser skin.

It is important to note that Google collects and analyzes a users behavior through the Toolbar. It is possible that when searching, if you rank #1 for a keyword phrase that is frequently clicked on but does not satisfy the user, resulting in a click back to the engine in short period of time, can affect relevance scores and ultimately, ranking.

10. What Software, Information, or Services are most recommended for SE marketing?

If you want to check on your overall ranking results and position for certain keywords, then WebPosition is the best choice overall and offers a free trial version. Be warned however, using WebPosition too often can result in penalties to your domain or domains being searched for from the engines. Why? WebPosition automatically queries the search engines which is a violation of terms of use for most engines, including Google. Don't overuse or abuse and you will stay on the safe side. My advice is no more than once every 3-6 months. Manually search for your site when possible to check for "key" positioning rankings.

Stay up to date on the latest search engine marketing tips and information right here at Traffic Lounge! I also suggest subscribing to Search Day, "a free newsletter from Search Engine Watch featuring web search news, reviews, tools, tips, and search engine headlines from across the web". Also bookmark Danny Sullivan's Search Engine Watch and JK Bowman's Spider-Food.net.

Regarding using a service for SE marketing efforts, use caution! Claims like "guaranteed ranking" and "we will submit your site to 12,000 search engines" should bear red flags in your mind. There is no guarantee for ranking in the search engines and most services will never perform actual html optimization of your web site, which is the basis for long term ranking in the search engines. If you want to buy traffic then do so, but do not let a "SEO service" fool you into selling you bait and switch ranking results that will disappear as soon as your money runs out.

Have more questions? Post them on CozyCampus.com. Until next time - Happy Promoting!