How search engine marketing tools can work for you: or, searching is really all about finding, first of three articles

Information Outlook, July, 2005 by Terry Brainerd Chadwick

How does one go from being a librarian and independent information professional to a specialist in search engine optimization (SEO) and marketing? In my case, it was almost inevitable.

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As the Internet became more and more of a repository for crucial information, an increasing amount of my work involved sifting through hundreds of Web sites, searching for pertinent information on a wide variety of projects in a very short time. Because it was so hard to find the information on many of those Web sites, my frustration kept growing. I knew there were Web sites out there with great information--I just couldn't find them. When I did find a Web site, I couldn't find the information I was looking for in it.

I'm a searcher. I know how to search and where to find information. I understand how search engines work. The problem? The companies and organizations behind these Web sites didn't understand how to have their information found by the people who were looking for it. Shortly after this realization, I started working on search engine promotion and optimization. So what does a search engine optimization specialist do?

I am currently the SEO specialist at EBSCO Subsidiary Web Services (ESWS), a department within EBSCO Industries Inc. that provides Web design, development, maintenance, and Internet marketing for the company's 20-plus subsidiary divisions. These Web sites include businesses involved in real estate, hunting and fishing supplies, office and retail products, promotional displays, and publishing. My responsibility is to develop the sites into search-engine-friendly, easily indexed, highly ranked resources. I am also responsible for making sure the Web sites easily convert visits into leads and sales.

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When I start on a new project, I first conduct an SEO survey. Questions include the following:

* What are your goals for the company, its products, and the Web site?

* What are your expectations and how will you measure the success of the project?

* Who is your audience? Who are the customers and competitors?

* How do you describe your products and services (i.e., what keywords would you use to describe them)?

* What kind of Internet marketing have you already done?

* Is your Web site database driven? What kind of server does it run from? Does your site use JavaScript, Flash, PHP, CGI, ASP, .NET, or other scripting and programming languages?

Using the information gathered in the survey and continuing to ask questions as needed, I start my research. This includes reviewing the Web site and other company marketing materials to see how they describe their products and services, reviewing competitors' Web sites, and conducting a keyword search and site-saturation analysis. I pull this information together to create an evaluation of the site's search engine friendliness.

Search engine marketing (SEM) is more art than science. Each search engine has its own formula for ranking search results. These algorithms change often, primarily to make results more relevant to the searcher but also to derail spammers who try to use the algorithms to make their pages rank high regardless of their relevance. There are, however, a few general best practices in search engine marketing. Most of these are useful for anyone who wants to have a user-friendly Web site.

1. Use unique and descriptive titles on all pages.

2. Use plain ASCII text on your Web pages.

3. Use alt text to describe images and nontext elements.

4. Include a keyword-rich text description at the tops of pages (which the search engines read).

5. Provide unique descriptions and keyword metatags on every page.

6. Use text links with keyword-rich descriptions in your navigation and content.

7. Add relevant, high-quality links from other sites to your site.

8. Adhere to Web standards; follow usability/accessibility guidelines.

9. Use keywords in URLs.

10. Avoid using redirects or refreshes.

11. Do not duplicate pages, sites, or content. If you have similar/duplicate pages or sites, choose one for the search engines; exclude the search engines from the others.

12. Make sure your dynamic pages are search engine friendly.

13. Restrict the use of splash or doorway pages (pages that are graphics/flash only or pages filled with keywords for search engines, not humans, and that redirect to the real Web site).

14. Do not cloak (show the search engines pages/information that people won't see).

Major SEM Tools and How I Use Them

There are many tools to help you optimize Web sites. They can be grouped into four categories: (1) keyword research and analysis; (2) Web site saturation and popularity; (3) back end tools (including Web analytic tools and HTML validators); and (4) Who Is tools.

Keyword Research and Analysis

The three major goals of an SEO project are to (1) make sure the site can be indexed in the search engines; (2) find the most relevant and popular key terms and phrases for the site and its products; and (3) use those key phrases on the site in a way that will generate and convert traffic.