Search engine optimization (SEO)

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Presents Strategies on How to Become a Creative
and Profitable Online Presence!   PerfectWebWare
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Offline / Online
Offline, bustling crowds pass by your place of business. Some of the passerby traffic notices you and walks in."Location, Location, Location" Online, people search for information. Millions of people. Each searches alone."Information, information, information"
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SOME FACTS TO CONSIDER

• According to qSearch, approximately 85 of the
  Canadian Internet population conducts at least
  one search at the top engines each month
  (compared to 73 of the U.S. on-line population).
  Canadians conducted approximately 575 mln
  searches last April, while 1.2 bln US searches
  made in May 2004.

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• Google - Searching 4,285,199,774 web pages
• 28 of Google searches are for a "product/service
  name", 9 are for a "brand name" and 5 are
  searches for a "company name".
• 85 of all Web site traffic and 70 of all
  online purchases originate from a search engine.
  (Jupiter Research)
• Micro Commerce opportunities for new products and
  services will generate an estimated 60 bln in
  revenue per year by 2015 according to Gartner. A
  micro purchase is a purchase valued at less than
  5 and conducted electronically, where the
  settlement can be either prepaid, by
  subscription, on-the-spot, or invoiced.
• For More Facts Visit http//www.itfacts.biz

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Site Building Process

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Issues to Cover
Definitions SEO and SEM Strategies Brand
Recognition and Identity QA
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Definitions

• SE Search Engine is a tool that enables users
  to locate information on the World Wide Web.
  Search engines use keywords entered by users to
  find Web sites which contain the information
  sought.
• Web Directory a search service that arranges
  the web pages it knows about into categories and
  subcategories. Often picked by human beings for
  inclusion in the categories.
• SEO / SEM A form of online marketing, Search
  Engine Optimization / Search Engine Marketing is
  the process of making a site and its content
  highly relevant for both search engines and
  searchers. Successful search marketing helps a
  site gain top positioning for relevant words and
  phrases.

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Definitions

• PR Page Rank a system for ranking web pages
  developed by Google - http//toolbar.google.com
• PPC Pay Per Click online advertising payment
  model in which payment is based solely on
  qualifying click-through.
• CTR Click Through Rate advertising term
  indicating the percentage of viewers who click on
  a banner advertisement and follow the link
• BLOGS a frequent, chronological publication
  ofpersonal thoughts and Web links
• RSS Real Simple Syndication

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Key internet marketing strategies

• Search engine optimization (SEO) - no cost per
  click
• Search engine marketing (SEM) - cost per click

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Search engine optimization

• What is SEO?
• SEO is the act of modifying a website to
  increase its ranking in organic (vs paid),
  crawler-based listings of search engines
• How do organic search listings work?
• A spider or crawler which is a component of a SE
  gathers listings by automatically "crawling" the
  web
• The spider follows links to web pages, makes
  copies of the pages and stores them in the SEs
  index
• Based on this data, the SE then indexes the pages
  and ranks the websites
• Major SEs that index pages using spiders Google,
  Yahoo, AltaVista, MSN, AOL, Lycos

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TOP Search Engines and Directories

• The TOP 8
• 1. Google
• 2. Yahoo
• 3. MSN
• 4. AOL
• 5. Altavista
• 6. Infoseek
• 7. Lycos
• 8. Excite
• represent 88.86 of all search engines.
• Web Directory Yahoo, DMOZ, LookSmart
• What SE and Directories do you use?

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Search engine optimization/contd

• SEO strategies/techniques
• 1. Domain name strategies- domain names are
  traffic magnets gt 63 million domain names
  registered gt 4.7 million domain names registered
  1st quarter 2004- choose a domain name that will
  increase your search engine ranking. How? - use
  keywords, location, advertising terms, product
  names- choose a keyword that is important for
  your business

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Search engine optimization/contd

• 2. Linking strategies
• - the text in the links should include
  keywords- the more inbound links the higher the
  SE ranking - if the site linking to you is
  already indexed, spiders will also receive your
  site - quality of inbound links is critical -
  how to increase links a) creative content /
  copywriting b) good outbound links c) target a
  list of sites from which you can request inbound
  links - links for the sake of links can damage
  your search rankings
• Link relevancy is critical in getting your site
  indexed by search engines
• A small number of inbound links from
  high-quality, relevant sites is more valuable
  than many links from low-traffic, irrelevant
  sites.

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Search engine optimization/contd

• 3. Keywords- the most important in optimizing
  rankings
• - research what keywords are people searching
  for using tools e.g. Wordtracker
  (www.wordtracker.com)
• - keywords are words that appear the most in a
  page- the spider chooses the appropriate
  keywords for each page, then sends them back to
  its SE - your web site will then be indexed
  based on your keywords - can be key phrases or
  a single keyword- do not use common words eg
  the and of spiders ignore them- write
  keyword-rich text- balance keyword-rich and
  readability - always have text in your page at
  least 100 words

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Keywords / Phrases Suggestion
Choose your Keywords- Theme Related - Popular -
Low Competition / Find Your Niche Market
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Search engine optimization/contd

• 4. Title tags - important in optimizing rankings
  - the first thing that a search engine displays
  on a search return - must keywords in title to
  be ranked no. 1- should have the exact keyword
  you use for the page- every single web page must
  have its own title tag - you can use up to 65
  characters - example http//www.ebay.com/ (title
  is littered with keywords)
• 5. Meta description tags - displayed below the
  title in search results- use dynamic,
  promotional language- use keywords

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Search engine optimisation/contd

• Meta keywords tags - no longer carry weight with
  major SEs- a myth that meta keywords alone
  affect rankings
• 6. Alt tags - include keywords in your alt tags
• 7. Submit your website to SEs for indexing-
  submit your site to search engine directories,
  directory sites and portal sites - indexing
  takes time ( 3 months)

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Search engine optimization/contd

• SEO - what is NOT recommended
• Flash and shockwave - spiders do not pick up
  these files
• Image only sites - spiders do not pick up images
• Image maps - spiders cannot read image maps. Do
  not use them on your home page or critical pages.
  
• Frames - only one page can be titled (titling is
  critical in search rankings)- If the spider
  cannot read the complete page (because of the
  frames), it will not be indexed properly.
• - Some spiders may not even read a frames web
  site
• Misspellings, JavaScript or HTML errors (validate
  your code)

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Search engine optimization/contd

• PDF files - Although some search engines can
  index them, the pages must be interpreted into
  HTML and can lose much of their content. - place
  PDFs lower down in your site
• Drop down menus spiders cannot read them
  therefore make sure you have a SiteMap

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Search engine optimization/contd

• In summary Make Search Engines work for you!!!
• Critical elements - domain name, links,
  keywords, title, meta description, alt tags,
  submitting your website to SEs- keywords galore
  include in page copy, title, description, domain
  name, ALT tags
• No-nos- flash, image-only sites, image maps,
  frames, password protected pages, code errors

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Search engine optimization/contdHow SEO
elements affect organic listings

Title tag
Meta description tag (or first para of text if no
meta des has been added)
Keywords
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Search engine marketing

• What is search engine marketing (SEM)? SEM is
  the act of marketing a website via search engines
  by purchasing paid listings
• What are paid listings?
• These are listings that search engines sell to
  advertisers, usually through paid placement or
  paid inclusion programs. In contrast, organic
  listings are not sold.

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Search engine marketing/contd

• Paid listings
• 1. Paid inclusions- Advertising programs where
  pages are guaranteed to be included in a search
  engine's index in exchange for payment - no
  guaranteed ranking - payment made on a Cost Per
  Click (CPC) basis Advertisers pay to be included
  in the directory on a CPC basis or per-url fee
  basis with no guarantee of specific placement

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Search engine marketing/contd

• 2. Paid placements- Advertising programs where
  listings are guaranteed to appear in organic
  listings- the higher the fee, the higher the
  ranking
• - eg sponsored links and Googles Ad words -
  can be purchased from a portal or a search
  network - search networks are often set up in an
  auction environment where keywords and phrases
  are associated with a cost-per-click (CPC) fee.
  - Google and Overture are the largest networks

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Search engine marketing/contdPaid placements -
Google

Paid placements
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Other internet marketing strategies

• Usability driven information architecture
• Effective copywriting, dynamic content through SE
  friendly web portals, BLOGS, RSS
• Affiliate programs
• Email marketing and online newsletters
• Interactive customer relationships
• Web traffic analysis and web analytics

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Conclusion on SEO and SEM

• If budget allows, undertake both SEO and SEM as
  SEM enables ROI tracking (leads and conversions)
• If budget is lower go for SEO
• Recommendation for- SEO for organic promotion -
  SEM for campaigns and international markets

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Conclusion on SEO and SEM

• This is just the tip of the iceberg.
• Search marketing is a new and cost effective
  promotion tool.
• Stay informed and stay ahead of your competitor.

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Special Offer from PerfectWebWare

• Two hours of no cost or obligation consultation
  for your business
• Free proof of concept and risk-free evaluation
• Free training
• Get proven results, quality and serviceThe
  future of online business is here! Are you ready?
  Contact us to find out how we can help
  contact_at_perfectwebware.com

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• MORE STUFF if there is time left . Else
• Q A

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What is a Brand? Brand implementation
principles

• What is a brand? A product is made in a factory
  a brand is made in the mind.
• Walter Landor - Founder, Landor Associates
• Brand implementation principles
• In order to translate the brand idea into a
  coherent experience and to vindicate
• its promise
• The media applications that make it real have
  to form a consistent, unified
• impression and should always be closely linked to
  the companys brand identity.
• The expectations generated by the brand should
  never be allowed to be invalidated by broken
  promises, inconsistent language or
  out-of-character visual presentation.

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5 Metrics of a Strong Brand

• The brand as idea, promise and
• experiencemust fulfill five standards
• 1. It must be relevant to a real or projected
• need in the marketplace.
• 2. It must be deliverablethe company
• must have the infrastructure, assets and
• intellectual capital to fulfill the promise
• and deliver value.
• 3. It must be crediblethe company behind
• the promise must be perceived as capable
• of delivering it.
• 4. It must be differentiatingit must possess
• some quality that distinguishes it from all
• other competitively relevant brands.
• 5. It must be both inspired and
• inspiringit must motivate interest,
• action and enthusiasm among
• employees, shareholders and customers.

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What is a Brand? The three touch points of a
brand

• There are three fundamental touch points between
  a brand and the market
• 1. Behavior
• Brand behavior is the associate code
• of conduct toward clients, the public,
• the financial community, the corporation
• and each other. It must be manifest in
• everything we do, from the way the
• phones are answered in a call center to
• choices about the kinds of philanthropic
• programs with which we choose to align.
• Brand behavior is the brand brought to
• life in the most vital, social and personal
• way. Our actions as a company and
• the actions of our associates will have
• to vindicate our promises at every turn,
• creating and sustaining a complete brand
• experience for our clients.

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What is a Brand? The three touch points of a
brand

• 2. Appearance (look and feel)
• Look and feel applies to a wide range
• of graphic design applications including
• corporate symbol and signature, color
• palette, packaging, business systems,
• architectural signs, product design and
• standard attire. These must be consistent
• with each other while clearly and recognizably
• expressing the brand positioning.

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What is a Brand? The three touch points of a
brand

• 3. Language (voice or tone and manner)
• Tone and manner or voice spans
• a companys entire system of verbal
• communicationsfrom ad copy, taglines,
• brand lines and slogans to internet
• content, press releases, white papers and
• product names. Tone and manner shapes
• every message our company sends.
• As with look and feel, these different
• verbal expressions must be consistent
• across all media, serve as a recognizable and
• faithful voice of the brand and speak in
• different dialects, in deference to its
• distinct audiences.

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Brand Message and mood
- Be confident. Quietly. Our message should be understated, subtle, not boastful. Our voice is one of partner, not seller. This is not about making claims its about who we are. - Be understated. The dramatic understatement of underpromising and overdelivering is the tone to strive for. Find it. - Be clean and crisp. Use elegant, simple but effective communication. Visually and verbally, less is more. - Be conversational. The message should speak with people, not talk at them. You are their partner, share our message with them. - Be respectful and non-promotional. Engage the reader by speaking in a common language. No chest-beating or competitor-bashing. Avoid jargon. - Be benefit-driven. How does this product or service enhance peoples lives? Talk about the benefit. - Be global. Do not use metaphors or sports analogies. Consider translations and image selection with a world view in mind. - Be sensitive. Not all cultures in the global village share the same values. For example, subtle humor is a wonderful tool to use but humor here isnt necessarily humor there. Also consider facial expressions and body language in the images you select. - Be sure. Test the visual and verbal content with the target audience to be sure that youre communicating what you want to communicate. Every copy direction, every visual cue should do double duty both fulfilling the goal of each assignment as well as communicating the brand promise. If it isnt building brand value, then it is stealing from it. There is no neutral position on the brand value scale! - Obtain approval. All ads, literature and other external marketing communication materials must be reviewed and approved before they are submitted for final production or publication.
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What is a Brand? Conclusion

• Mold your online and offline presence into a
  creative brand that will impress your clients and
  stand out in a crowded marketplace.

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Why is internet marketing important?

• It gives companies the ability to
• Drive high quality customers to their website
• Increase sales leads from customers looking for
  their products and services
• Build their brand online by communicating
  marketing messages to their target audience
• Increase their profile against their competitors
• Target a global and local audience via search
  engines
• Be accountable with ROI tracking (SEM)

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SEM and the Buying Cycle
Campaign Goals and Objectives should line up with
the profile of the searcher.
While longer phrases tend to be further down the
cycle, short ones may be as well, brands,
products, etc.
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Know The Engines Creative Nuances

• Google.
• Rewards CTR, but high CTR can sometimes dilute
  quality
• Test your ROI for different creative
• Overture.
• Lower CTR may be acceptable but low Click Index
  can result in ad cancellation
• Determine your volume, vs. prequal levels
• FindWhat, Kanoodle, Enhance, etc.
• Read the editorial guidelines

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Share Data across PPC and Organic

• Organic keywords
• Tell you how your site is found
• Give you new PPC keywords to try
• PPC keywords.
• Knowing what converts when you pay gives you a
  goal for organic pages. 70 of people click on
  the organic listings
• Tune your site for both kinds of traffic

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Conclusion
Want to win in Search Engine Marketing? Control
risk through education, best practices, smart
people, and appropriate use of effective
technology, not just for tracking but for
campaign optimization. Do you want to be a
survivor and a winner in the game of search
engine marketing? Learn how the game is played.
Campaign efficiency is not optional for search
marketers, it is imperative. Questions? e-mail
contact_at_perfectwebware.com
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The End

• THANK YOU !