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Search Engine Optimization: 3 Common Concerns Revisited
by Mackenzie Fogelson, M.A.
Printable Version
Google, as well as other search engines, never stops updating and revising the algorithms that determine favorable site placement. Although new criteria for successful rankings encourages Webmasters to experiment with new tactics, some underlying principles and use of technology seem to always remain the same.
Content
Content still takes the cake when it comes to enhancing search engine rankings. As the Web continues to embrace new media, 'content' takes on a whole new meaning:
- Blogs, Vlogs and Podcasts
Blogs, videos and audio files are exciting resources for your target audience and gives Google something more to crawl than just words. A blog that is updated regularly and offers well written, valuable information further enhances search engine rankings.
Videos and Podcasts are also great tools for delivering valuable information to your customers and will allow your Website to be returned as a video result in addition to any content searches that are a relevancy match. Get enhanced search engine exposure by uploading all videos to YouTube.com.
- Press Releases, White Papers, Tutorials and Case Studies
Providing fresh content on your Website via press releases, white papers, tutorials and case studies is valuable for both your target audience and your search engine rankings. Take the value even further by publishing the content in an ENewsletter, and submit articles and press releases to ezinearticles.com or prweb.com. The links will help to direct additional traffic and further expose your Website.
Flash & SEO
The battle continues between the use of Flash, .html and its affect on search engine rankings. Although the future of SEO and Websites built entirely in Flash is looking up, the technology is not quite there yet. The good news is that engines are now able to crawl some Flash content and follow links that are provided in separate Flash files: two major components that determine how a Website ranks in the search engines.
The bad news remains that a Flash Website can’t currently compete with the power of an .html Website that can be—in most cases—easily crawled and indexed by the search engines. And because Flash cannot currently be displayed on mobile devices, companies that target a mobile audience should opt for clean .html instead. Both Google and Yahoo are working to bridge the gap between Flash and .html Websites when it comes to SEO, but there is still some progress to be made.
Links
Cultivating links that direct traffic to your Website can play a significant role in site rankings. Volume is certainly key here, but more important is relevance. Link building can increase the popularity of your Website by using:
- Relevant Links
Cultivate links from Websites that are related to your industry. Make sure that these Websites are credible and use effective design and SEO practices.
- Reciprocal Links
Although it is not as common anymore, it is ok to trade links with another Website (they link to you, you link to them) as long as the site is relevant to your industry. One-way, or inbound links, tend to hold more clout, but reciprocal links can positively affect your rankings if they are coming from another relevant Website. Encourage other Websites to link to your Website by serving as an industry resource.
Search engine rankings can be affected by many things. As a result, it is important not only to dedicate a portion of your marketing efforts to SEO, but also to employ complimentary marketing strategies as well (email marketing, print marketing, networking, etc.). These efforts, combined with tried and true SEO practices, can assist your Website in gaining favorable placement in the search engines.