TopRank Internet Marketing News

Google uses a method known as PageRank to quantify the “importance” of a web page. PageRank is determined by an algorithm which assigns a numerical weight between 1 and 10 (10 being the highest) to measure the website’s relative importance.

By taking into account factors including quality and quantity of incoming links, Google’s PageRank leverages a probability distribution to determine the likelihood of a visitor landing on a page, and assigns a score accordingly.

However, PageRank is just one of the methods Google uses to determine a page’s relevance or importance.

PRSA Workshop:  Search Engine Optimization in a Digital World
March 20, 2009 in New York City

Today’s public relations and communications professionals need to adapt and grow with the changing digital landscape just as publishers have moved to the web. Consumers and journalists alike use a variety for search tools to discover and share credible sources of news and information. Can your news be discovered where digital media are looking? Is your text, image, audio and video content optimized for search and the social web?

 
(Lee Odden – far right – at PRSA International conference)

As with most web updates, if not done correctly, changing your domain name can hurt your keyword rankings. If search engines are indexing the current domain name and web pages, it matters a great deal how the implementation of a new domain name is handled.

The first order of business is to create a process for implementing 301 redirects from your current web pages to the new web pages. We would recommend mapping out existing content and implementing the permanent 301 redirect to similar content under the new domain. To improve the user experience, avoid redirecting all pages to the homepage on the new domain.

As keywords are the corner stone to a successful Search Engine Optimization (SEO) program, it’s important that we not only focus on where the keywords are on the page, but who the keywords are trying to reach.

How do you know when it’s time to revisit your keyword strategy? Ask yourself the following questions:

• Has my business model changed?
• Has my target market changed?
• Have I altered my product or service offerings?

If the answer is yes to any of the above, then it is time to audit your existing keywords. In addition to the above, anytime you undergo a website redesign consider revisiting your current keyword list before optimizing your new website copy.

Writing for the Web to Optimize Your PR & Overall Messaging
Webinar Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2008

1:30-3 p.m. (EST)

If you are involved in communicating with your stakeholders online, you know that writing for the Web is different than writing for print. You know that the difference between a journalist engaging with your brand online or abandoning your site altogether is based on the content you, as communicators, post or manage online.

Now is the time to take the lead and create Web content that supports your messaging, boosts engagement and delivers to your bottom-line goals.

After engaging with a SEO consulting agency like TopRank, it’s important to retain the value of the optimization work performed. Often times there are many different contributors to the content of a web site and its technical maintenance. Without oversight, keyword optimization efforts can easily be overwritten.

Once overwritten, keyword rankings can decline. To avoid such situations, here are 3 locations within your web pages to watch where keywords should exist for optimal search engine rankings:

What’s the difference between large scale SEO projects and those implemented for small medium businesses? Plenty. The mechanics of an enterprise search engine optimization program are different when dealing with large amounts of content with different content sources and content management systems. But factor in the organizational complexities of approval processes, stakeholders and communications with a big company and it’s a whole different ballgame.

TopRank Senior Account Manager Jolina Pettice and CEO Lee Odden conspired on an article addressing the challenges and opportunities of energizing an enterprise SEO campaign that was recently published in MediaPost’s Search Insider:

TopRank Senior Account Manager Jolina Pettice and CEO Lee Odden contributed a recently published article to Penton Media’s Chief Marketer, “The Trick to Making Large Scale SEO Work”. Here is an exceprt:

“Successful enterprise SEO projects require a unique combination of mechanical SEO expertise as well as large company political savvy. Making significant progress in a reasonable amount of time is possible with the right mix of planning, communication and expertise.”

The key is empowering client side contacts responsible for workflow, approval and implementation. To that end, here are five tips on empowering large company SEO projects:

TopRank’s CEO was recently featured in a July 2008 Target Marketing Magazine cover story by Kate DeBevois and Hallie Mummert, “How Friendly Is Your SEM? Take the test: SEO/PPC best practices revealed”

Editors at Target Marketing Magazine reached out to several industry experts on search engine optimization and pay per click marketing to formulate a quiz for readers. TopRank’s Lee Odden, offered advice on Flash/Ajax/JavaScript optimization:

When using Flash, Java or AJAX, optimize search by?
Answer: b) providing text descriptions for all rich media