by Sye Fidler, Third Sector, 31 October 2007
Sue Fidler shows how to take advantage of search engine marketing.
The term 'search engine marketing' is used to describe a paid-for listing on a web page of an internet search engine such as Google. This is also referred to as a cost-per-click listing.
Generally, when you click on a search engine results web page, several blocks of text appear. The main listings are the central block of the page, but at the top and down the right-hand side of the page are sponsored search results. In these areas, organisations have paid to be listed against the keywords or search terms that have been entered.
When using search engine marketing, think first about the most important words you want people to locate you by. This might relate to the work you do or a key marketing message. Then think about where you want your ad to be shown - whether in search results in the UK or globally. Ideally, the body of the ad should have a strong title of roughly 40 characters, a short description consisting of about 70 characters, a long description of approximately 190 characters about your charity or offer and a specific web address to which users can be directed. A display URL can be shown on the ad, but make your link short so it is easy to remember.
Think about how much you want to spend and whether it will be per click or per day. If you set a daily limit, the search engine will stop showing the ad once it has been reached. Then open an account with search engines such as Google AdWords or Yahoo! Search Marketing. The search engine will need to be provided with a credit card account.
Be sure to check which keywords work, how many users are visiting the site via the ad and how much is being spent. The Google Analytics application is available free online and enables you to merge and track data from adwords and analytics.
- Sue Fidler is an independent charity ICT and internet consultant
31 October, 2007
17 October, 2007
Search Engines: Registration
By Sue Fidler, Third Sector, 17 October 2007
Search engine registration is a tale of two extremes. On the one hand, there are companies who want to charge thousands of pounds a month to register websites every day. On the other, many search engines are dropping their 'suggest a site' options because, they say, they trawl the entire web anyway. We all need to do our best to make sure our sites are listed.
Good practice is to check at least once a year whether you are listed on the main search engines, and that the information held is up to date. This could be the perfect task for a volunteer. It simply involves creating an Excel spreadsheet, listing the main search engines and then marking up whether your search appeared on the first page when you searched for the organisation name and other major search terms. Also check whether your entry appears 'above the fold' - is it visible without scrolling down? - and that the title, description and URL are correct.
The main search engines to check are Google, Yahoo, MSN, Ask and AOL. A secondary set includes Altavista, Excite, Everyclick, Lycos and Alltheweb.
If your website appears on the first page, you are doing well. If it is above the fold, even better. If not, and if your title and descriptions are wrong, check and amend your meta tags and work on your site optimisation.
Check which sites link to you. You can do so by typing 'link:' followed by your URL into Google. For example, 'link:www.thirdsector.co.uk'. Check what they say - it could be positive or negative, supportive or antagonistic, or even defamatory.
The popularity of sites that link to you affects your site ranking. If a major organisation such as the BBC or a big corporate or charity has a link to your site, this will increase your ranking. So if you get a great bit of PR, make sure such organisations add your website to articles.
- Sue Fidler is an independent charity ICT and internet consultant.
Search engine registration is a tale of two extremes. On the one hand, there are companies who want to charge thousands of pounds a month to register websites every day. On the other, many search engines are dropping their 'suggest a site' options because, they say, they trawl the entire web anyway. We all need to do our best to make sure our sites are listed.
Good practice is to check at least once a year whether you are listed on the main search engines, and that the information held is up to date. This could be the perfect task for a volunteer. It simply involves creating an Excel spreadsheet, listing the main search engines and then marking up whether your search appeared on the first page when you searched for the organisation name and other major search terms. Also check whether your entry appears 'above the fold' - is it visible without scrolling down? - and that the title, description and URL are correct.
The main search engines to check are Google, Yahoo, MSN, Ask and AOL. A secondary set includes Altavista, Excite, Everyclick, Lycos and Alltheweb.
If your website appears on the first page, you are doing well. If it is above the fold, even better. If not, and if your title and descriptions are wrong, check and amend your meta tags and work on your site optimisation.
Check which sites link to you. You can do so by typing 'link:' followed by your URL into Google. For example, 'link:www.thirdsector.co.uk'. Check what they say - it could be positive or negative, supportive or antagonistic, or even defamatory.
The popularity of sites that link to you affects your site ranking. If a major organisation such as the BBC or a big corporate or charity has a link to your site, this will increase your ranking. So if you get a great bit of PR, make sure such organisations add your website to articles.
- Sue Fidler is an independent charity ICT and internet consultant.
03 October, 2007
Search Engines: Optimisation
By Sue Fidler, Third Sector, 3 October 2007
Sue Fidler explains how to get your website recognised by internet search engines.
Search engine optimisation means accessibility for internet search engines such as Google or Yahoo! and makes your site as easy to find and read as possible.
The first thing a search engine reads is your uniform resource locator, or primary website address. Machines don't mind if it is a series of numbers and letters, but humans do. The search engine will list any page, but humans are more likely to remember something that is meaningful to them.
A search engine will then look for meta tags. These are simple pieces of code that sit in the header of your web page and give the details of the site. One of the reasons these are critical is that they define what title is shown in the taskbar menu and which title and description search engines will display.
- this sets the taskbar and search results title; The relevant meta tags are: - defines the description used in search results; - defines the main search terms.
This may seem daunting if you don't know much about web pages, but it is easy to check by right-clicking on your homepage and selecting 'view source'. The meta tags should sit in a block near the top of the page. Once you have found them, check that what they say is correct.
If they aren't there, ask your web person to add them. If you manage your site manually, copy and paste the meta tags from a webpage (such as suefidler.com) and change the details to suit your site.
Look at the copy on your pages and ensure the most important phrase for that page is repeated at least three times in the text. Search engines select search keywords by the phrases used. But don't add brand names or irrelevant phrases - if you do, search engines will blacklist your site.
- Sue Fidler is an independent charity ICT and internet consultant.
Sue Fidler explains how to get your website recognised by internet search engines.
Search engine optimisation means accessibility for internet search engines such as Google or Yahoo! and makes your site as easy to find and read as possible.
The first thing a search engine reads is your uniform resource locator, or primary website address. Machines don't mind if it is a series of numbers and letters, but humans do. The search engine will list any page, but humans are more likely to remember something that is meaningful to them.
A search engine will then look for meta tags. These are simple pieces of code that sit in the header of your web page and give the details of the site. One of the reasons these are critical is that they define what title is shown in the taskbar menu and which title and description search engines will display.
- this sets the taskbar and search results title; The relevant meta tags are: - defines the description used in search results; - defines the main search terms.
This may seem daunting if you don't know much about web pages, but it is easy to check by right-clicking on your homepage and selecting 'view source'. The meta tags should sit in a block near the top of the page. Once you have found them, check that what they say is correct.
If they aren't there, ask your web person to add them. If you manage your site manually, copy and paste the meta tags from a webpage (such as suefidler.com) and change the details to suit your site.
Look at the copy on your pages and ensure the most important phrase for that page is repeated at least three times in the text. Search engines select search keywords by the phrases used. But don't add brand names or irrelevant phrases - if you do, search engines will blacklist your site.
- Sue Fidler is an independent charity ICT and internet consultant.
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