Monthly Archives: February 2009

Ten factors that affect search engine ranking

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Here is the list of top 10 factors that affect search engine ranking.

1. Use of Keywords in Title Tag

If I am allowed to work on only one aspect of a site, I would work on the Title Tag . Put all your keyphrases in your title tag, but also remember not to overstuff it! For best results you gotta optimize each page individually.. Lets say your first page has information about “free antivirus” then you should have key phrases like – “free antivirus, download antivirus, best antivirus” etc. Lets say your second page has information about “firewalls” include keyphrases like “free firewall, best firewall” etc.

2. Keyword Use in Body Text

Now its pretty obvious that if your web page doesn’t contain any information about Antivirus but still contains key phrases like -– “free antivirus, download antivirus, best antivirus”, it aint gonna work!! The point being, please make sure that you have the text in the webpage that you have on your title tag!! Don’t worry about the density of the key words. There is no relation between the density of the keyword and its rank on the search engine

3. Relationship of Body Text Content to Keywords

Remember, google is google because its got some serious smart guys working for it, so don’t be under the impression that fooling them is gonna be easy. Just stuffing a key phrase into a completely unrelated page wont do you much good.

4. Keyword Use in Domain Name

Some disagree with the importance of this one, though I feel it does not play a major role, why take a chance? Especially if you want to start a new site.. That said, remember that you choose to lose more than gain if you have an established site with a good pagerank! Note that there are websites that offer excellent services when it comes to web hosting

5. Keyword Use in Page URL

Again different SEOs take different sides on the importance of this one. I believe it is of some importance, but doesn’t make sense to change the urls for an existing site with a decent pagerank.

6. Keyword Use in ALT Attributes and Image Titles

I think this is extremely important. Maybe even more important than url and domain name. Experince shows that image optimization is a wonderful way to make a page appear higher on the search list to a desired query

7. Keyword Use in H1 Tag

Inspite of critics deeming tweaking with H1 tags as useless, its been proved otherwise. Head up the body text with an H1 containing the keyphrase.

8. Keyword Use in H2, H3, H… Tags

Since we have used it in H1, why not use it in H2, H3, et al..

9. Keyword Use in Bold/Strong Tags

I deem this method as moderately important. It helps Google in analysing what your page is about and what can the reader expect to find on it.

10. Keyword Use in Meta Description Tag

Definitely important. Each page should have a custom title and meta description tag. The ability of the Meta Tag to make it appear on the search list should not be underestimated.

 

All said and done, it should be remembered that CONTENT is the king!!

 

Real ‘Work-From-Home’ opportunities

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There are millions of money making opportunities on the internet, if you believe the advertisements and all the mails sent out each day. It is true that most of those are fake, and just opportunities to skim money off gullible people. That must be a real fertile market, as there are hundreds of new ‘make money from home’ opportunities popping up online.

But then, making a generalized statement saying that ‘all money making opps online are fake’ is not true. The internet has made it possible for people to outsource work to the cheapest vendor, irrespective of where they are, and get paid irrespective of other normal factors that affect employment. In fact, if there was no internet, the BPO industry which has changed the economy of dozens of countries would not have existed!

Here are some of the real ones, and remember – most of the programs that pay you to work from home would not require you to pay an up front fee.

  • Resell products

Some of the internet’s most profitable work from home ventures is reselling products online. A provider or a manufacturer that does not have the necessary resources to market, will prefer to pay other people to market, and even if they have a marketing team, reselling is hugely profitable, as it opens up access from around the world. For instance, selling and registering websites is a business that is extremely popular and pays very well. Take a look at http://resellers.gossimer.biz/ for an illustration. There are several more kinds of products / services. Do your own research.

  • Work from home

The real one – not the namesakes that flood the internet. Websites like elance, guru and oDesk have created platforms to bring together clients and providers. They charge a fee on every billed transaction, and that is a win-win-win situation for the portal, the buyer, and the customer. But you need to have genuine qualifications to work there, as they require your certifications. Try them out.

  • Blogging – Advertising

On the internet, advertising is king, and with the advent of online ad services like Google AdSense, it has become possible for people to make money from their blogs and websites. However, you need to have real good content, or you can sell ads on behalf of another website. Try out a program that looks good.

  • Selling

If you are not into reselling, you can try selling some real products online. Sites like eBay and many more help you create an online store which you can register on for free. You have tons of resources available for you to market your store online, and if your services are good, you are in for some serious money!

These are just a few of the good opps online. If you are serious about working from home, your best bet would be to ask your way around, and see which are the ones that are really good.

All the best!

The Future is NOW…Online Advertising

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This is advertising in a nutshell; a form of “communication” that attempts to persuade potential customers to purchase or to consume a product or service.

With the economic crisis right here, right now, many businesses are diverting their funds from payroll (very unfortunately) to marketing and advertising with the idea that that is the best investment for their immediate and future growth.

The past:
Newspapers (print ads): Great eye catching graphics and slogans. But aren’t we all now trying to “go green”? How many of us still get the paper delivered to our door? Isn’t it easier and quicker to “go online”? Why bother thumbing through all those pages when we can just type in a keyword and click search.
Television advertisements (commercials) range from a few seconds to several minutes (also program-length infomercials). Advertisements like this have been used to sell every product imaginable over the years. And can cost millions! But so many of us would rather use our favorite tool, the REMOTE, to channel surf, or at least mute those dreaded minutes of commercial time.

Food for thought:
We are in crisis mode, and that is when people turn to brands they know and trust, which translates to value. So, companies will be looking for more cost-effective ways to reach their target audiences. And that is online marketing, with almost instant feedback as to what is working and what isn’t, via the web pages you search, the newsletters you sign up for, the ads you click on, etc…

Many companies now have forums or blogs which create feedback from consumers so the new buyer can get that very important recommendation from the end user, much like a recommendation from a friend or family member.

The future (NOW):
Many experts predict that internet advertising in the USA will continue to rapidly increase within this economic downturn forcing a reduction in overall advertising spending. Many companies will be transferring much of their marketing budget from traditional (TV and print) to the new online media, which will most likely become the major avenue of advertisement over the next few years at a very high rate.
The snowball effect:
Online audiences watch what they want to watch, when they want to watch, and where they want to watch. It’s not just your grandmother’s PC anymore! Cell phones, Blackberrys, Iphones, MP3’s, etc… This audience is sure to increase as technologies progress and becomes more and more available.
There’s no turning back now…online advertising IS the future.