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Archive for June 28, 2009

bikram | June 28, 2009
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SEO SIMPLIFIED: Black Hat SEO Techniques

Taking our discussion on Black Hat SEO forward, in this article we shall focus on the techniques that have been denounced categorically as Black Hat SEO techniques by the SEO community as well as search engines, and which you should never use when optimizing your website.

Keyword Stuffing

This one is the first in the list of certified Black Hat SEO techniques. If you stuff your article with too many keywords, or put a list of keywords and nothing else in your webpage then your site will surely get penalized by the search engines. For more details, read How to use keywords in content.

Text Cloaking

Text cloaking means hiding the website’s text behind the background. This is done by making the text and the background color same. It is often used by spammy websites to hide the list of keywords from the visitors but keep it visible to the search engine spiders. In some cases the website also uses different texts for search engines and different text for visitors. In this case, the text written for the search engine ranking purpose is cloaked.

Doorway Pages

A doorway page is another failed Black Hat SEO attempt to fool the search engine. A doorway page is just like any other HTML page optimized for a couple of keywords or key phrases, but unlike other HTML pages, it is not visible to the visitors. Only the target search engines and their spiders, for which the page is designed, can see this page. When a user clicks on the doorway page in SERP (search engine result page), he or she is redirected to another page, the real website or webpage for which this doorway page was constructed. This activity is undertaken with an intention to artificially boost the traffic to the website.

Category: SEO | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
bikram | June 26, 2009
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SEO SIMPLIFIED: Black Hat SEO

Now, as you are thinking about SEO, you must have started looking for information related to search engine optimization on the Internet, and the chances are quite fair that you bumped into something called Black Hat SEO. And there is also a possibility that you got fascinated by the quick result it claims to offer, but through this and other two articles let me warn you, on the onset, against the perils of using such unethical techniques to artificially boost the search engine ranking.

If you get caught, your website will be banned by all the major search engines. As it is Black Hat SEO tactics provide a short-term solution for the long-term problem, which is to build an exceptional user experience into your website in order to get repeat visits and loyal user base. One more thing, practicing Black Hat SEO will not win you many friends; rather it will push you to dark and dingy corner. Now, the question is what is Black Hat SEO and how to know, if I am using a White Hat SEO (acceptable form of SEO) or the Black Hat one? Let’s examine that. An SEO practice is called Black Hat SEO in the following situations:

  1. When the SEO technique used Breaks the policy and optimization guidelines set by search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc.
  2. When an SEO professional uses an unethical technique of cloaking selective content behind the background to hide it from the eyes of users, but keeping it visible to the search engine spiders.
  3. Creating a poor user experience by excessive use of any SEO technique also gets categorized under Black Hat SEO heading.

In the next article, we will talk about the techniques that are considered as out-and-out Black Hat by the SEO community at large. In the article following that we will talk about what different school of SEO thoughts has to say about Black Hat SEO technique, and what according to them is Black Hat and what it is not?

Category: SEO | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
bikram | June 20, 2009
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SEO SIMPLIFIED: On-Page Optimization Part-I

Till now, we have been discussing separately different concepts and tools that you can use to optimize your website.  I hope you are comfortable with the concepts we discussed so far. When all of these concepts come together, we call them on-page optimization. In this and the following article, I will be sharing some valuable tips that will help you optimize your webpage for maximum result. I will recommend you to keep this and the next article handy.

Domain Name: Having your main keyword in the URL will help your website rank better. Hence, start with looking for the most-valuable keyword for the niche you want to operate into, before buying a domain name. (Read SEO SIMPLIFIED:  An Overview).

Static URL: Static URLs are considered search engine friendly. Keep the URLS short and static because major search engines do not like dynamic URL as it confuses their spiders. If you have a lengthy or dynamic URL in your website, convert it to short and static URL.

Example of Dynamic URL:

Example of Static URL:

Which one reads better?

XML Sitemap: XML Sitemap helps search engines in determining the kind of content your website has. It helps web crawler to index even those pages which are generally not accessible, like pages with rich media content, AJAX, JavaScript, etc. (For more details Read Sitemap Primer).

Keyword Density: Before making the webpage live, ascertain that the overall keyword density of the webpage lies between 2-7 percent. You should also avoid stuffing any one paragraph with keywords. The keyword density of each paragraph of the article/content as well as the overall keyword density of the article/content in question should lie between 2-7 percent. (Read Keywords in Content for more detail).

Title Tag: Put the main keyword in the title tag, and make the title tag interesting to read. The title tag should be very creative and should have crowd-pulling capability.

Meta Description Tag: You should write the description of your webpage here. Use the 160 characters available to you to describe the nature of your webpage. A good meta description tag increase the chances of click-through.

Meta Keyword Tag: List all the keywords used in the webpage here. Do not optimize any page for more than 3 keywords.

Image Optimization: Images and flash contents of the websites are inaccessible to the search engine. As the crawler cannot read or see the content of an image or flash file. You can use alt tag to make the image and/or Flash content of the webpage accessible to search engine spiders. (Read Keywords in Content Part –II for more detail).

Links: Avoid using any JavaScript, image or Flash link in your website. Always use text links, and use your primary keyword as anchor text for all the links.

Category: SEO | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
bikram | June 14, 2009
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Six Blogging Mistakes to Avoid

It started its journey as a web log. Now, a blog is no more just a web log. It is a full-fledged business for some, and a source of authentic information for many. In its initial days, blogging was considered just another fad, but slowly but surely it cemented its position as a serious online enterprise.

Many people have started their blogs; some succeeded and many failed. The question is why? Is there any formula for blogging success? Or can there be any formula to guarantee success in any form? Well, in my view, there cannot be any formula for success, but there are some surefire ways that lead to failure. If you believe that avoiding mistakes that lead to failure takes you one step closer to success then this article is for you. Here, we will discuss about some egregious mistake that we need to avoid in order to push failure away from us.

Do not be me-too

No one likes me-toos. It holds true, whether it’s a brand, or a blog. There should be some real reason for the audience to come to your place. Why some blogs are famous, and others are not? Why some gets millions of visit, and others not even tens? The question might be many, but the answer is just one: the lack of real differentiation.

  • You can differentiate yourself from others, even if your niche is very much crowded. You can think of using more simple and innovative design that doesn’t take toll on the readers as a point of differentiation.
  • You can also change the style of writing, or vary the length of the post to differentiate your blog from the rest.

There can be many ways to differentiate, and to find one, all you need to do is to think.

Are you speaking from the ivory tower?

If you think, you are up there and your readers are somewhere down here then you need to open your windows, and use your binoculars to get a better view. You do not have any reader! People like to talk to only the person with whom he or she feels connected. Does your blog gives enough reason for people connect with you? Do your readers know who are you; where you are from; what you do, and what makes you write on the topic you are writing? Remove your mask, and let your readers know about you. Put your picture and a brief biography on the about page of your blog. This will help people connect with you. People connect with People. Know this fact!

Thou art Shakespeare?

If you think so then go and write plays, but I doubt if it will succeed! Even Shakespeare used the language his audience understood then why you are after choking your content with unnecessary layers? Keep the content simple, and error-free.

As we all know, people do not like to read much on the internet, so make your posts visual.

  • Make the keywords bold.
  • Break the article by supplying subheadings.
  • Add list if possible.
  • Keep the paragraphs short and simple.
  • Use bullet points.

Add value

I like you, and you like me, but why?  What is the one thing that makes us like each other? Why do you come to pay me a visit? You must be finding some value in coming here?

Anyone will come to you or talk to you only if they derive some value from the time they invested by being here. This is quite fair! And by value I do not mean any financial gain, or any favoritism. If I make you happy then this humor is also of some value to you. Your readers will come to your blog, only if they get something that is important to them.

Why don’t you talk to me?

You have written a nice blog post. I liked it, and I have written back in the comment box, but what the heck! You did not reply, why? Do not let your readers and the commenter of the post feel this. This happens many times and it can take your blog down. Your answer to the commenter’s reply will caress his or her ego. Your reply will make him or her feel better about themselves. It may increase the frequency of their visits as well.

Save me, I am drowning!

Save him! He can be your reader; a loyal reader in that who is in this situation because of your over-posting. Do not post too many articles on your blog. Writing a 1000+ words article even twice a day is too much for people to digest. Maintain a healthy ratio or your reader will get left behind. Find out how many posts you need to post per week to succeed in your niche, and how often do you need to update your blog? Make a schedule and follow it!

Category: blogging | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
bikram | June 12, 2009
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SEO SIMPLIFIED: Writing Meta Tags

Instead of discussing about any new concept, in the last two articles, we focused our attention on some of the mistakes, which if not avoided will nullify all the hard work done in terms of search engine optimization. In this article, I will share some meta tags writing tips that will prove effective in getting a better ranking in the search engine result pages (SERPs).

As we discussed earlier, meta tags plays a very critical role in SEO, and the two meta tags that are very important are meta description tags and meta keyword tags. We will be focusing our attention on these two meta tags in this article.

Writing meta description tag

Meta description tag appears below the page title of each of the search result, and it has a significant impact on the click through rate of the displayed link. When writing meta description tags, please keep the following points in mind.

  • A meta description should be less than 160 characters.
  • It should be legible for the human reader.
  • No two pages should have the same meta description tag.
  • Texts in meta description tag should reinforce the keyword used in title tag or the main keyword of the web page. Try synonyms, plurals, or other versions of the same keyword. Try different combinations as well.
  • Use modifiers with the other variants of keywords to reinforce the theme of the web page.
  • A good meta description tag can differentiate your site from other sites on the same page.

Meta Keyword Tags

Due to its nature of being susceptible to spamming, and keyword stuffing, this meta tag has lost its former glory, yet it will not hurt to optimize your page with putting the right keywords in here.

  • This meta tag is used primarily for the web crawlers. Your reader has nothing to do with it.
  • Number of keywords should not be more than three.
Category: SEO | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
bikram | June 9, 2009
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IM Netiquette for Freelance Professionals

If we go by the logic provided by Thomas L. Friedman in his book, “The World is Flat” then due to outsourcing the world has become flatter, and as an aftereffect, the offices has become larger. Anything that involves knowledge and computers can be and are getting outsourced. Now, more and more people from different locations on the globe are collaborating to make things work for their employer, which has turned the world into a giant office. The participants are working from the desks of their homes for the employer who is sitting in his air-conditioned office in one of the countries. Freelancing is on the rise, and so is the use of online collaboration and communication applications.

Instant messaging (IM), e-mailing and voice chatting are becoming the prime mode of communication. If you are a freelance professional then you spend a good deal of time communicating with clients on any of the various IM applications. IM and other online communication systems are around for quite some time, but unlike telephonic conversations, we are still not sure how to look professional while communicating over an IM application. It is not the freelancer only who faces this problem, but the client is also equally clueless about the IM netiquettes. To save yourself from the embarrassment, following are the mistakes that you need to be watchful of when communicating over an IM with your client or your service provider.

Disregarding the red signal

Do not buzz a person if the person is flashing a red light against his or her name, unless it is really important. The red light indicates that the person is busy doing some other work. If you need immediate attention and your work is really important then keep your communication as brief and quick as possible. The idea is not to kill the person for being online.

No regards for the status message

Most of us often do not waste their second thought on status messages like “on the call”, “Away”, “Busy”, etc., and keep on buzzing. Always show regard for status messages. They are there for some good reason.

Never setting your own status message

This is another mistake. You must set a proper status message according to the situation. This will send signal to others on your buddy list about your availability or unavailability.

Using Slangs

While talking to your client or service provider, do not use terms like “Wanna”, “Gottta”, “brk”, “gt8″, etc. These slangs and informal spellings are good for personal communications, but here we mean business. Hence, keep these and similar terms out of the equation. Always use proper spelling!

No goodbye

Many a time we do not bid adieu. We just disappear. This is not a good thing. We need to start our conversation with proper hello and end it with a proper goodbye. This reflects professionalism

Category: Home Business | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
bikram | June 7, 2009
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SEO SIMPLIFIED: 5 Mistakes to Avoid Part –II

Taking our discussion on the disastrous SEO practice ahead from the point where we left it yesterday, we will discuss the rest of the two dangerous mistakes that we may unknowingly commit in the process of search engine optimization.

Disastrous SEO Practice 4: Too Much Flash and JavaScript

As we discussed earlier, there are some contents that has opaque walls around prohibiting them from getting indexed by the search engines. Given the limitation of search engines you should avoid using too many flash contents, JavaScript, or AJAX content on your web pages. SEO and thick-walled contents do not go hand in hand doesn’t mean that you cannot use these on your website. You definitely can use it; rather you should use it in web pages to illuminate your website. The only word to consider why using them is caution. Maintain the text and flash or JavaScript balance on your website, and the balance should always be tilted way down towards text. You can also consider adding tags to your flash contents that explain the content hidden behind the swf walls in detail. These tags will work as a guide akin to the guide in the national science museum that describes every part of the artifact kept behind the sealed glass.

Disastrous SEO Practice 5: It’s not a one-time affair buddy!

Many SEO newbies believe that search engine optimization is a one-time affair, and once they are done with the hard work of optimizing web pages of their websites, they can sit astride sipping beer from their Budweiser can. Well, only the beer-guzzling part of the statement is true, you can enjoy it, but not by sitting on your laurels. SEO is not a one-time affair. This is a continuous process that requires a constant attention stretched over a period of time. The SEO work you did while creating web pages was the foundation that needs continuous support in form of regular updates and changes to keep your website in the good book of the search engines. Old contents are seen as stale, and no one like stale food, not even search engine spiders. You need to keep on updating your web site in order to tell search engines that the website has not been abandoned, it still has someone to look after, and it still can offer value to its users. Search engines and their spiders will love this proclamation. Stick to your keywords and make this statement as often as you can.

Category: SEO | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
bikram | June 6, 2009
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SEO SIMPLIFIED: 5 Mistakes to Avoid Part -I

In the last post of the series, we talked about Sitemap, and I believe the importance of sitemap in SEO must have made home by now. Before moving forward to a new concept, I thought to share some important tips on SEO because I believe many of you must have started optimization process for your web pages. Until now, I have talked about what a concept is, and how to use it, but in this as well as the next post I will talk about five disastrous SEO practices that should be avoided, or else your website will be blacklisted by major search engines. In this post we will discuss about the mistakes related to the keyword usage.

Disastrous SEO Practice 1: Instinctive Keyword Selection

Do not use the keyword that comes first to your mind. Many people believe that the instinct is the best guide in selecting keywords for their websites. Instinct and hunches are indeed very important, and many a time they give us more accurate information about the future course of action, but when it comes to the information related to others, we shouldn’t rely more on the individual instinct of one person. Keywords are one such thing. We need to do the research to find out what people at large are searching for.

Disastrous SEO Practice 2: Optimizing website for every possible keywords

Do not use more than 3 keywords. The main strength of anything that is digital lies in the fact that the space is unlimited and so are the resources. Many people make the wrong use of this freedom and attempt to over use the resources. Keyword is one such resource. After completing keyword research, the beginners get awestruck by finding a huge list of keywords searched at least 100 times a day, and they find themselves undecided on which to use for optimization and which one to leave out. Their instinct suggests that if they leave some keywords out they are leaving an opportunity on the table. Let me tell you, if you follow this gut feeling, which is either untrained or partly-trained in the matters of SEO, then your website is doomed. Do not fall prey to optimizing your web page for more than 3 keywords.

Disastrous SEO Practice 3: Playing hide & seek with keywords

Do not try to fool search engines by hiding excessive keywords behind the picture, by writing the keywords using the color used as background color, or by keeping the keywords offsite. An SEO newbie often comes with a clever plan to use more keywords then are legitimately permitted by the search engines. This guy will use keyword stuffing but in a different way. He will hide the extra keyword behind the images, or make the color of the text and the background same. This person may also attempt to keep the keyword offsite, away from the eyes of the visitors.

Let me prick the false-hope bubble. None of the act will bear positive results, on the contrary, your website will be banned as the search spiders can see every bit written in any page of the website opened for optimization. They are not blinded by the image, or by the color. They are way smarter than what you think them to be.

I want you to know the harmful effect of using these practices. Hence, I am finishing this article here. In the next article, I will through light on the other two dangerous SEO practices.

Category: SEO | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,