Search Engine Optimization

Today searching for information is the second most popular thing people do on the Internet, right behind email. If a company wants to use their site for new business development it must be easy for the search engines to find.

Since the search engine world is constantly changing it isn't always easy to get your site to list well, in fact it has become very important to keep on top of developing trends. In November 2003, Google reached their maximum number of listings that their search algorithms were designed to handle, 250 billion listings. When they developed new algorithms many sites that had enjoyed a coveted top ten ranking were suddenly dropped completely. In March 2004 Overture and Ask Jeeves consolidated and acquired Interactive Search Holdings. This effectively doubled Jeeves power in the search game and created a network of about a dozen important players. After realizing that their own directory was too cumbersome, Yahoo created "Yahooverture!" Yahoo acquired and combined Inktomi, the best available crawling and indexing technology, with Overture, the best available pay-per-click technology, and launched Yahoo! Search Technologies.

The route to listing high with the major search engines is a circuitous one and has become an art form onto itself. The best way to get optimal ranking results often is to focus your efforts on getting listed in several other lesser directories and search engines, so that the Google and Yahoo "spiders" can find you by following links to your site from other sites, directories and search engines that it considers "relevant" and "trusted".

Search engine optimization is a must for any one wanting to use their site as a marketing tool. Listing high and staying there can involve a fairly complex strategy. However there are five basic steps to listing well which include the following:

1. Develop an effective list of keywords and phrases.
2. Refine the site's copy and structure to get a higher ranking.
3. Use "organic search" analysis and strategies to rank well.
4. Launch an effective online campaign.
5. Evaluate online options such as "affiliate partners".

 

Affliate Programs

We have discovered that most competitive keywords and phrases will not get a good natural search ranking unless you have several, good quality incoming links to your site. These incoming links must come from sites that are highly relevant to both your site and your important keywords. Ideally you want control over the page from which you are being linked to and also the actual hypertext of the clickable link to you.

Studio North offers the following services for Affliate campaigns:

1) Identify sites you have a relationship with and get them to link to you.

2) Develop and launch a compelling, customized link request email that includes benefits to them or their clientele. Prepare an offering in return for linking with your site.

3) Build a "directory section" on your site and ad links to them.

4) Identify other sites that may be content related, identify whom to contact on those sites and initiate an email campaign to those sites.

5) Develop a database to manage this campaign and the communications, follow-up and results.

6) Based on success rate, refine and change your link request email subject line and content if necessary.