For instance, the owner looks at their homepage and sees a beautifully branded design with promotions and marketing messages and navigation and calls to action. But what they don’t consider is that all of that lovely information that may or may not contain valuable keywords is hidden inside of images or other areas that search engines can’t read. For example, from this tag cloud you can easily see why my daughter’s favorite online game site Poptropica won’t be ranking for “online kids games” anytime soon:

Look how few words are available for search engines on www.poptropica.com

Another application for a tag cloud is demonstrating the CSS-styled text on the page that only displays when a user clicks or rolls over an area of the page. At times, this text can outweigh the relevant keywords on the page and dilute the keyword theme for the page. For example, Casual Male XL appears to be targeting [big and tall] and [big and tall men's clothing] on its homepage, but its text-only cache shows a lot of size-based information related to the size profile that displays with JavaScript disabled. Consequently, the tag cloud shows many instances of “size” (11 times on the page) and “XL” (13 times on the page), while “mens” appears zero times and “clothing” appears twice. However, given that they rank in the top 3 in Google for [big and tall], their keyword density obviously isn’t hurting them as much as their keyword prominence (and likely other SEO factors) are helping them.

Casual Male XL's word cloud based on Google's cache

I was using Wordle for a while, but it didn’t have the options I wanted. Then I discovered Tagxedo. Both allow you to enter a block of text or a URL from which to grab text. Both allow you to customize color themes, fonts and orientation. But Tagxedo takes it several steps further to offer different shape options (clouds, star, heart, school bus, and many more), all sorts of word emphasis and filtering options, as well as the opportunity to modify the text in the cloud while you’re creating the cloud. Wordle makes you start over again with a new cloud if you want to change the text or URL the cloud is made of.

For example, here’s the tag cloud I made for the homepage of Web Pierat.

A kitty cat word cloud for Web Pierat's homepage from Tagxedo

First, I do a Google search for the cached version of a page like this: cache:webpierat.com

Google's cached version of webpierat.com

Then click on the “Text Only Version” link in the upper right so you see something like this:

Google's text-only cache of webpierat.com with the site text highlighted to copy

Then just paste the text from the text-only cache into Tagxedo or whatever tool you prefer and fiddle with the settings. Voila! A custom tag cloud of the text Googlebot can index on the site…. Well, minus the title tag since Google’s cache doesn’t display that, but you can add the title tag into the text box as well.

Search engine optimization is all about “signal” and “amplification.” The signal is simply using relevant keywords. Amplification is about how to use those keywords and encourage linking and sharing. Think of the keywords as the voice of a site and the amplification as a megaphone. The site shouting the loudest and most relevant signals at the search engines will win better rankings for a search and potentially win new customers as well.

Keyword research is critical, but keywords are useless until they are used in some way on a website. How those keywords are used to optimize the content makes the keywords either whisper or shout to search engines.

Content Optimization: Unmuting the Keywords

To give keywords a voice, simply place them on a website. Cramming all the keywords onto a single glossary page will make each keyword whisper so softly as to be inaudible to search engines. But placing a single keyword at the beginning of the title tag for the page for which it’s most relevant turns the signal for that page up to polite dinner conversation level.

Read the article in full at Practical eCommerce »

Excerpts from my latest article at Resource Interactive’s weThink blog: “Duplicate Content: Destroy or Differentiate.”

Duplicate content is an often misunderstood part of search engine optimization. Most digital marketers know it’s bad, but why? Duplicate content (two or more pages with different URLs that display the same content) makes it harder for a site to rank and drive traffic and conversions.

If 20 URLs each display the same page of content for red shoes, then all the links pointing to that page across a site are split across 20 different URLs. The page would have much more ranking power if all those links were pointing to a single URL. And that’s just internal links; consider the impact of splitting more valuable links from other sites across multiple URLs for the same page. Then add on the Facebook Likes, tweets, +1s, blog links and other actions that signal popularity to search engines, all split across 20 different URLs for that single page of content. In addition, duplicate content burns crawl equity, slowing a search engine’s progress as it crawls through a site to discover fresh new content.

But sometimes, content only looks like it’s duplicate. This is a common issue with ecommerce platforms that offer filtering options for better usability. The filters tend to create new slices of category content that look the same to search engines as the original default category page. For example, a category page of red shoes might have a filter for shoe style that includes tennis shoes, slip-on shoes, flats, high heels, etc. These are valuable pages to shoppers and searchers alike. But search engines can only determine the differences between each of the filters if the page sends differentiating signals in its title tag, headings and other textual content on the page.

Read more to find out how to tell if content is duplicate of merely needs differentiating: “Duplicate Content: Destroy or Differentiate.”

Read the article in full at Resource Interactive’s weThink blog »

Content that consumers leave on an ecommerce site can improve the site’s search engine optimization, if the platforms and underlying code are set up optimally. Ratings, reviews and comments each play a part in SEO, utilizing the words and opinions that real shoppers voice to strengthen optimization.

In aggregate, these types of content fall under the label of user-generated content. I wrote in more detail about reviews and SEO here, in “SEO: Letting Customers Generate Long Tail Search Terms.” The gist of that article still stands. Optimizing a site manually for the millions of phrases that could drive one or two converting customers just isn’t scalable. User generated content such as reviews and question-and-answer sections can solve the problem by outsourcing long tail optimization to your own customers. In addition to reviews, though, ratings and comments have their place in ecommerce SEO as well.

Reviews for SEO

When review content displays on the relevant product page, it boosts the keyword theme for that individual product page. Most reviews vendors — such as Bazaarvoice — offer product variations that display the reviews on the product pages in a crawlable manner, but some don’t. At the same time, Google and Bing are getting better at crawling the JavaScript that has traditionally kept crawlers out of juicy review content. An easy way to check whether reviews content is crawlable is to just Google a random chunk of the review content and see if it appears in the search results.

For example, the Asics Women’s GEL-Blur 33 on Shoes.com has six reviews. But are they crawlable? To find out, copy a unique-looking chunk of a review and Google it in quotes like this:

“Asics have never let me down! I love these shoes because they look good and they provide awesome support for all kinds of workouts and the best part is I can wear them out and get tons of compliments!”

Read more »

I discussed keyword research and keyword mapping in detail in the previous two articles in this series on content optimization. But keyword research is like any form of data collection and analysis: It won’t drive a single additional organic search visit or sale until it’s acted upon. With their keyword maps firmly in hand, content creators and search marketers can effectively and efficiently create or optimize content that turns those potentially valuable keywords into real search-engine-optimization traffic.

It’s obvious when content is written for search engines instead of customers. It tends to focus on high keyword density — having a higher ratio of keywords to other words — and tends to lack readability and interest. Instead of this, inform writers of the keyword theme for the page and let them write freely and creatively with the keywords and the brand messaging in mind. When they’re finished writing, go back over the fresh copy with an eye to replacing some phrases with keyword phrases. Be careful not to kill the spirit of the content in the process.

Where keywords are placed can have a big impact on how strong a keyword relevance signal they send to the search engines. This is referred to as “keyword prominence.” If a page is meant to rank for “online games for girls” but the keywords related to that phrase aren’t used on the page in prominent places, it will have a difficult time ranking. So before we start flinging words around the page, keep these content optimization guidelines in mind.

Read more of this article on Content Optimization»

The Complete Series: “Optimizing a Page for Search Engines”

• Part 1: Keyword Research
• Part 2: Keyword Mapping
• Part 3: Keywords to Content
• Bonus: Title Tag Optimization for Ecommerce Sites

Keyword research is essential to search engine optimization. It’s the window into the words that real searchers use to find products like the ones you sell. But at the end of the keyword research process — detailed in “Part 1: Keyword Research” — search marketers can be overwhelmed by the vast amount of data staring at them from their Excel spreadsheets. Keyword categorizing and mapping help move the optimization process from the research phase to the actual optimization phase.

Categorizing Keywords

During the keyword research process, patterns start to appear. Different types of keywords emerge that can be logically grouped into different categories that reflect the site’s business goals and core product offerings. For example, if my site sells subscriptions to online games for kids, my keyword research could be 12,000 phrases or more based on the research conducted in Google’s free Keyword Tool. But because each keyword is needs to be related to my core product offering, I can start to categorize them and delete the ones that aren’t directly relevant.

Let’s say that my site sells games. But it doesn’t sell just any games; it sells online games for kids. That’s three vital components to choosing keywords that are specifically targeted to my product offering: “types of games,” “online vs. offline,” and synonyms for the word “kids,” as listed in the spreadsheet, below.

See the diagrams and read more on how to categorize & map keywords »

Optimizing title tags is a bit like eating your vegetables. No one wants to do it, but everyone knows it’s good for you. Search engine optimization professionals universally agree that title tags are the most influential on-page element. SEOmoz recently confirmed the importance of title tags in a report that strongly correlated title tag optimization to higher rankings.

The guidelines for optimizing title tags are simple, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Begin the tag with the most valuable and relevant keyword phrase, use the exact keyword phrase, end with the brand, and keep the length to 70 characters or less.

Read more about the finer points of optimizing title tags »

Search engine optimization typically focuses on the trophy terms, the high-volume keyword phrases, because marketers need to drive the highest value with the lowest effort. Unfortunately, those juicy trophy terms are great for brand recognition and customers’ initial awareness, but they typically don’t convert as well as the less commonly searched long tail phrases. But optimizing a site manually for the millions of phrases that could drive converting customers to a site just isn’t scalable or possible with limited resources. User generated content such as reviews and question-and-answer sections can solve the problem by outsourcing long tail optimization to your own customers.

User generated content — UGC — is great for SEO for a couple of reasons. First, when customers write reviews or ask and answer questions about a site’s products, they use different words than marketers use. Customers tend to use the same words that other customers and searchers use. Enabling UGC on a site, therefore, ensures the best of both worlds: The product descriptions and category level content will be written by marketers using the brand voice, and the UGC will be written by customers using the voice of the customer.

Read more »

After working with ecommerce SEO clients for several years, I’m about fed up with “search friendly” platforms, content management systems & site features. They all come with their own baggage, their own set of issues that need to be tested for and controlled. Which takes IT resources. Which are hard to come by, especially when you’re talking about something as difficult to determine ROI for as structural SEO updates.

And invariably, the client isn’t jazzed about revising their platform to optimize structural SEO issues because they thought they bought something that was good for SEO in the first place.

The problem is, SEO friendliness is more than enabling automated & manually customizable title tags. It’s how functionality impacts URLs, how many URLs are generated for each page of content, whether the navigation path affects URL structure, how tracking parameters are passed, whether sorting modifies the URL, whether categories and products are assigned unique persistent IDs, whether IDs are reused, and many many more questions that impact SEO.

I’m looking for the platform that enables and enforces a single URL for a single page of content that is system-optimized for a unique automated keyword phrase, which can be overwritten by manual optimization. ONE URL, ONE page, ONE unique keyword theme. Across thousands of pages on an ecommerce site.

If there’s a platform out there that does this without heavy customization, I haven’t worked with it yet. Pray tell, what’s your favorite “search friendly” platform?

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Think what an optimization campaign around [location] + [charity gifts] or [christmas donations] could do for a local charity. Say a seasonal program attracts 100 volunteers — what if SEO could attract 20% more? I’ve reached out to help my favorite charity optimize for next year since this year is essentially a wash for holiday optimization. Next year, look for http://www.mompop.org at the top of the SERPs for [madison charity gifts]!

I finally stumbled on MOM (Middleton Outreach Ministry), a local charity serving the western part of Madison, WI. Like many charities, MOM is a local operation staffed by hard-working volunteers and a few employees that wear too many hats to focus on online marketing. Even the national or global charities tend to lack strong SEO savvy. What would they optimize for? Keyword research would light the way, of course.

I did some quickie keyword research to find the optimal annualized keyword phrase for holiday and Christmas donation gifts. The keyword market isn’t huge, and the data for Madison-based phrases is even tinier since we’re not a major metro area. In the end I had to settle for non-location-specific keyword phrases, logically prepended with location. Here’s what I came up with:

The tricky thing with keyword research is intent. When folks search for [charitable gifts] they may be looking for general charities to donate to as opposed to the intent I had in my search, giving holiday gifts through a charity. The non-holiday keywords are incredibly valuable, of course, but will probably be utilized at the top of the site’s hierarchy. [Christmas donations], [holiday giving], [holiday charities] and [charity christmas gifts] are more on target for the seasonal holiday charity campaign’s landing page.

So let’s look at an example. MOM’s Madison Christmas donations page appears to target the program’s name: Sharing Christmas Program. That’s handy for folks who saw another form of marketing and already know the program exists, but it’s not going to get them a lot of natural search-referred traffic or donations.

While the page mentions some of the optimal individual words, none of the valuable phrases are incorporated together. Here’s what I would do for the Title Tag: Christmas Donations: Madison Charity Christmas Gifts & Holiday Charitable Gift Giving

That one string targets my primary phrase of [christmas donations] and touches six secondary keyword phrases either by exact match or with another word interrupting the exact phrase:

• [charity gifts]
• [donation gifts]
• [charitable gift giving]
• [holiday giving]
• [charity christmas gifts]
• [charity christmas gift]

In addition, the heading, body copy and meta description should be optimized for the primary and secondary keywords. The best I can do for them for this year’s holiday giving season is give a link, but next year we’ll be ready with optimization a-blazing!

Learn more about Madison charity MOM, volunteer or donate, or visit their blog or Facebook page.

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Thanks for sharing.