Key SEO Factors

To keep things simple, we have included a handful of factors which we think are both important and can be easily analysed to determine how SEO friendly your site is. These include; the page title, how unique and relevant your content is and what server-side practices have been performed such as URL rewriting. We’ve also ordered these factors by importance and have included the area it specifically resides in.

Website Area Examples

• Page Title: Document Head
• H1 Tag (Heading): Document Body
• URL Rewriting: Server-Side
• Robots.txt file: Miscellaneous

Key Factors – Most Important

• Do I have unique Page Titles on all my pages which incorporate the keywords I want to target? - Document Head
• Do I have unique content on all my pages that is relevant to both the page name and my website? And are the keywords I want to target for each page incorporated naturally within the content? - Document Body
• Can search engines crawl and index my website? - Miscellaneous
• Do I have a blog or news section which is updated regularly with unique and relevant content? - Miscellaneous

Key Factors – Important

• Do I have more than one Page Title element per page? - Document Head
• Does my website employ URL rewriting? - Server Specific
• Are the keywords I’m targeting stuffed in any kind of manner for any of my pages? - Document Body & Document Head
• Do all my pages have H1 tags? And is each H1 tag relevant to each page? - Document Body
• Is my website located in the country I am targeting? - Server Specific

Key Factors – Somewhat Important

• Do I have META Description tags on all my pages? And are they unique for each page? - Document Head
• Do I have more than one H1 tag per page? - Document Body
• Are the following tags and elements using the appropriate amount of characters? - Document Head
• Page Title
• META Description
• Does my website avoid linking excessively both internally and externally? - Document Body
• Does my website have an XML sitemap? - Miscellaneous
• Is my website optimised for best performance? - Server Specific

If you’re finding that 50% of the above factors haven’t been optimised or at least implemented (specifically Most Important & Important factors), then your site isn’t as SEO friendly as it could be. We therefore recommend speaking with a qualified SEO company to audit your site and provide professional recommendations to increase your sites SEO friendliness.

Search engines today are very adamant on why duplicate content should not exist and how fresh, unique and relevant content is better for the user. Duplicate content is frowned upon because it’s a common practice used by black hatters to manipulate the SERPs. However, this is not always the case. Duplicate content can be accidental and not aimed at manipulating the SERPs. Either way, it is  a troublesome issue for search engines such as Google – which is why canonical URLs were introduced.

What is a Canonical URL?

A canonical URL is used to help determine if two or more URLs are the exact same, even if they’re syntactically different from each other. Search engines do possess the intelligence to analyse and conclude whether URL A and URL B are related and/or identical, however they’re unable to be sure whether it’s intentional or not.

Before canonical URLs were introduced and used in the SEO world, it was common practice that if you had duplicate content on URL A and URL B, you would 301 redirect one to the other to prevent any potential duplicate content issues. However, sometimes this isn’t always feasible and content which is on URL A may be duplicated onto URL B, URL C, URL D etc because of a number of factors.

For example:

• Session IDs – In programming, sessions are used to help preserve data for a limited time to each visitor. Every unique visitor will have their own Session ID. However, the problem is created when Google crawls a URL with a Session ID and indexed it as a completely different URL, thus creating duplicate content.

In order to help Google and other search engines determine which in fact, is the source URL, a canonical URL can be placed within the <head></head> section of the website. For example:

• <link rel=”canonical” href=”http://www.myurl.com.au/index.php” />

This way, whenever Google or another search engine crawls and indexes multiple session IDs, it will be known to them that only 1 URL is the source (real URL).

Another good example which I experience regularly is pages with search results. Let’s say we have a WordPress blog on the following URL:

• http://www.myblog.com.au

We’ve already gone ahead and  filled our blog up with various articles related to Electronics and added categories such as Televisions, Computers, Phones and Cameras. Now when a category is clicked by a user, they’re taken to a page with a list of articles within that category. For example:

• http://www.myblog.com.au/category/computers/

Looking at our list of computer related articles is nice but they’re only excerpts and there is no real information about what we are writing about or what computers are. So, we add 250-300 words of content, briefly describing what computers are and what we’re discussing. However, after a few weeks and over 40 articles added, Google has come along and crawled the computers category and indexing all the page URLs, thus creating duplicate content.

• http://www.myblog.com.au/category/computers/
• http://www.myblog.com.au/category/computers/page1/
• http://www.myblog.com.au/category/computers/page2/
• http://www.myblog.com.au/category/computers/page3/
• http://www.myblog.com.au/category/computers/page4/

Therefore, to prevent the possibility of duplicate content in this situation, we would add a canonical URL (like our first example) to the computers category within the <head></head> section of our website:

• URL: http://www.myblog.com.au/category/computers/
• <link rel=”canonical” href=”http://www.myblog.com.au/category/computers/” />

For more information on Canonical URLs including a list of commonly asked questions, you can visit Google’s webmaster central blog:

http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2009/02/specify-your-canonical.html

Alternatively, Wikipedia has an article on canonical URLs or more specifically, URL normalisation which includes a list of examples:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/URL_normalization

Most know of it, and many would have heard about it, but what is PageRank (PR)? How does it work? And how does it affect SEO?

Questions such as these are often asked to SEO experts and it’s important they are answered in the clearest possible sense.

What is PageRank?

PageRank is a link analysis algorithm named after Larry Page, co-founder of Google and involves assigning a numeric value to a page to represent how important it is on the web. It’s Google’s way of reflecting how important they believe a particular page is by considering over 500 million variables, 2 billion terms and the number of incoming links.

How does PageRank work?

Apart from considering variables and terms, PageRank takes into account how many incoming links a page has or as I’ll refer them to as, “votes”. Simply put, the more votes a page receives combined with the PageRank of those votes, the higher PageRank a page may receive. However other factors such as content (relevance) and visits to a page also influence PageRank but by how much is unknown. There are also other factors which contribute to improving PageRank but aren’t officially released.

How does PageRank affect SEO?

In the earlier days of SEO and PageRank, the higher PageRank you had, the higher your website would rank. However since then the web has evolved along with Google and their ideology of the web, the effect of PageRank on a websites ranking has reduced.

PageRank still contributes to where your website ranks however is far from the only factor. Therefore it should be considered lightly and used as an indicator only, as a range of other factors such as relevant content contributes to your websites rankings.

So what should I do next?

I won’t leave you empty handed so I’ll reiterate what I mentioned above and help you on your way with some helpful SEO tips:

• Focus on factors such as relevant content and the quality of your incoming links.
• Keep PageRank in mind as an indicator but focus on keyword rankings and traffic as they always tell the story.
• If an SEO company or SEO expert advises you PageRank is extremely important to your SEO, they may have limited knowledge and it’s recommended you seek advice from a range of SEO companies first before proceeding.

Google’s Caffeine has actually been in effect for the past 6 months but wasn’t officially released until last month. You may have noticed minor changes to Google during this period such as videos from YouTube to regular updated news stories being included in the search results, though Caffeine was still being refined.

Before Caffeine, Google’s indexing system was based on layers. Some layers were refreshed faster than others while the main layer would be updated every couple of weeks. However, to refresh a layer of Google’s old index, Google would have to analyse the web in its entirety, which meant a significant delay between finding a page and making it appear within their index. With Caffeine, Google can now analyse the web in small portions and update their search index on a more constant basis, allowing new information and websites to be added into their index faster than ever.

Google has expressed Caffeine was built for both the near future and beyond, allowing it to scale with the addition of new information whilst delivering a whole wide range of websites, videos, tweets and much more quicker.

Search Engine Optimisation (more commonly known as SEO) is a method which involves a variety of techniques to alter a website’s natural position in the search engine results pages (SERPs), image search, local search and/or video search to help improve its web presence and ultimately increase its traffic volume.

Do I need SEO?

As more businesses and companies incorporate SEO into their digital marketing strategy today, it’s recommended to consider SEO into yours, especially if you are targeting consumers online. Gone are the days of finding your business or company in the Yellow Pages or newspaper and expecting a positive return on investment (ROI). More and more are making the switch online for reading, learning and interacting via a wide range of systems with search engines being one of the most used today.

Why SEO?

SEO is the key to opening the door to new customers you may have never found through traditional marketing while ensuring a competitive edge over your competition and building credibility online. SEO can complement other marketing efforts (online and/or offline) such as search engine marketing (SEM) to effectively allow promotion of your website in more places than one.

How long does SEO take?

SEO is considered a long term strategy as there are various external variables such as search engine algorithms and industry competition which impact on how a website ranks in the search engine results pages (SERPs), not to mention SEO differs from direct advertising such as Television Advertising or Search Engine Marketing (SEM) which gain high volume in a very short period. View more on How long does SEO take.

Where do I start?

Anyone can practise SEO after a few hours of learning and see results; though true SEO is comprised of extensive knowledge, continuous effort and a variety of techniques. However, if you would like to begin the process of SEO for your website, please read our SEO Checklist to ensure your website is SEO ready and search engine friendly.

Alternatively, you can look at using a professional SEO company like Reload Media.

Therefore, employing the services of a trusted and ethical SEO Company is recommended. However there are certain steps which can be initiated before SEO takes place to help make your website SEO ready.

• Website Content: A common and critical issue of today is lack of content (information) on websites. As content enables the creation of authority or “juice”, it helps search engines define what your website is about and ensures correct placement within their indexes. Just as a person will read to learn more, a search engine crawls to gather more information. However, please bear in mind when adding content to your website that it’s unique (not duplicated anywhere else online) and relevant, if not your website may be penalised or removed from the search engine’s index completely. For further information on content and how to maximise its return, please read my previous article on Building Authority.
• Website Pages: A website is generally created to offer a message, to sell products or offer services; therefore it becomes important to structure your website correctly. Nobody wants to read a giant page with information, nor do search engines. Just as we would turn the page of a book or a document, a search engine will crawl a website and its pages and categorise accordingly. Adding additional pages to your website with unique and relevant content will help further improve your chances of ranking higher when SEO is implemented.
• External References: An important factor search engines take into consideration are inbound links to a website, i.e. websites which link to a website. Without these external references, competing for keywords which yield high return is not possible. SEO itself involves extensive link building to help make a website relevant to its target keywords; however there is a line in the sand between quality and quantity. Therefore, contacting other websites which relate to your industry and requesting a link can potentially benefit you, however keep in mind when requesting a link the website is related. For example, if Bobs Tyre Company specialises in selling tyres for vehicles, his industry would be automotive. If Bob requested a link from Jane’s Beauty Parlour, Google may find that to be irrelevant, therefore the quality of that link will be low. However, if Bob requested a link from Smith’s Vehicle Parts, the same industry as Bob, Google will find that to be relevant and the quality will be much higher. For further information, please read my previous article on Link Building.

With these above points in mind and initiated before you enlist the services of an SEO Company, it will most likely save you both time and money whilst increasing the possibility of ranking higher in Google and other search engines faster.

Search engines like Google use algorithms to define where a particular website sits in the search engine results pages (SERPs). These algorithms are constantly updated from a daily to hourly basis, depending on what can be improved; this helps ensure the most relevant websites are returned to the entered search query.
In order to help improve a website’s ranking, authority is required. Authority can be acquired through various factors, one of which is content. As crawling, finding and adding new content is the primary aim of all search engines; content clearly becomes a very important factor to every website owner.

Adding Content

To ensure maximum return on any content you add, there are a few simple steps to consider –

• Unique – Unique content is what search engines crave, once it’s added to your website, don’t duplicate it. Duplicated content can result in penalisation and potentially even banning your website from the search engines index.
• Relevant – Content that’s relevant to your site is essential, as it helps build what your site is about to both search engines and visitors.
• Plentiful – You can never have too much content, therefore when the opportunity arises, add more content. Furthermore, create pages with content revolving around a particular topic, helping boost your authority even more.
• Fresh – We love our fresh groceries and produce; well search engines love fresh content. Continually adding fresh, unique content will ensure constant updating of your site in the search engines indexes.
• Interesting – Keeping your content interesting will help improve your websites online presence, potentially opening the doors for natural link building, substantially increasing your authority.

Content is the foundation of any websites success, therefore combining all above factors can help start your website on the right track to building authority effectively.

Flash websites are nice, they’re pretty and stimulating but still far from practical. In fact, in many cases, the prettier your site, the more complex message it sends to a potential or current client. Considering how far we’ve advanced in technology and with the Internet, you’d expect this primary focus would be clearer.

Unfortunately since we’re all wrapped up in these fancy improvements, we are focusing less on the potential/current client and more on our own wants and desires. Adobe Flash is one of these technological advancements which has utterly stunned everyone from the beginning, though it’s important to know the mechanics behind it and what effect it has on your pocket.

The first point I would like to make is that in my opinion you should never make your whole site entirely out of Flash, as this can be riddled with complications. In addition, I have provided other examples to why Flash isn’t ideal:

• Speed & Size – A full Flash site is simply too big in size. Majority of people do not have lighting fast fibre optic Internet, so they won’t be sticking around for long if they’re staring at a loading bar all day. Size has been reduced remarkably with further advancements, however catering for the majority is still essential.

• Dynamic Resolution Resizing – Catering for various resolutions isn’t possible with Flash, without spending countless hours and tens of thousands of extra dollars into creating multiple versions of one site. CSS (or Cascading Style Sheets) offers this option and is free and compatible with every browser!

• Mobile Web – Many unfortunately still don’t take mobile browsing into account, however this is critical in today, especially when mobile phones are replacing land lines (home phones) and some computers and laptops. Not to mention the revolutionary iPhone, enabling fast web browsing via 3G or Wi-Fi, many simply don’t see the need to carry around a 2kg laptop when they can carry a phone.

• Price – Flash takes longer and requires much more extensive knowledge, making a Flash designer worth their weight in gold. However with all these combined, comes one big hefty price tag. When you require a modification, you pay for it, and not lightly either.

• SEO – SEO is required for your website to achieve high ranking positions in the search engines and substantial traffic, which ultimately will be your potential/future clients. However, as Google can only read a very small part of Flash and other search engines aren’t unable to read it at all, you’re losing a great deal of potential clients.

This is not to say flash is bad, quite the contrary, as it engages users and creates a very dynamic feel, but it’s important to note with the combination of all these complications that creating a website in Flash is often only to impress or provide a “wow” factor to people, stimulating only their brains and not necessarily your pocket.

It’s fairly well acknowledged nowadays that link building is an important factor when it comes to SEO, and helps enable your website to rank for search terms in competitive niches. However, most fail to realise the importance of quality over quantity and this makes all the difference.

Inexperienced (and some “advanced”) search engine optimisers believe the more links pointing to your website, the better your website will perform in the SERPs (search engine results pages). However this isn’t always the case and can potentially damage your ranking opportunities if done incorrectly.

Search engines base their algorithm (sorting of results) by various factors, some of which are more important than others. Generally, the more important the factor, the harder or longer it can take to achieve. As link building is a necessity for all websites, it’s situated quite high on the list. Some terms like “credit” or “travel” can take years to achieve due to their competitive nature whereas terms such as “purple christmas tree” might only take a few months, depending on competition and amount of traffic.

The ultimate question thus becomes; “How do I build quality links?” From my experience, it is best to hire a professional, someone who understands SEO, the ins and outs and all-arounds. As with any topic, learning takes time, money and patience whereas investing in other’s time to do SEO may benefit you more in the long term. However, if you do have some time up your sleeve and wish to get started on building your website’s authority, there are a few simple steps you can take:

• Article Syndication: We aren’t all novelists nor have perfect grammar and punctuality, however if you have a flair for writing, article syndication is always a great step to improving your website’s authority. Writing articles relevant to your website and submitting them to well known websites can help you in the long run. Just remember to include a link to your website!
• Linking: Contact other related websites and see if they’re happy to place a link on their website to yours. They may ask for a “reciprocal link” (Website A links to Website B and vice versa). This is not as effective as it used to be, however still is beneficial. Having a one way link to your website will always be more beneficial to you, so keep your website informative!

In regards to the second tip, keep your website informative and people will ‘naturally’ link to it. The more people linking from authority websites, the more authority you accumulate. However, remember to keep everything you do at a steady and ‘natural’ rate so when you do hire SEO services from professionals, the transition will be smooth and benefit you much more.

Remember, quality websites (more authoritative) will always be 10x more beneficial than non-authoritative. Keep focused on quality links from quality websites combined with great SEO from professionals and you will have one quality high-ranking website yourself.