Queen Bee Marketing’s Blog About Marketing, SEO, and Design.

I hope everyone is having a fun Halloween! I didn’t dress up this year, but I at least have on a festive orange sweater. Other SEOs are getting into the spirit, too. Here are a few links to Halloween related stories and pictures from the search community.

1. Larry and Sergey Halloween Costume 2007 - Great illustration of Larry and Sergey along with a caption contest in the comments! I haven’t come up with a caption yet, but some of the ones already posted are really funny.

2. Matt Cutts Costume Dilemma - Matt has links to pictures of his previous costumes, and he’s taking suggestions on what to be this year.

3. Halloween Google Logos - A time line of Google’s Halloween logos from 1999 to this year. It seems each year they get a little more involved. Also included are Halloween logos from Yahoo, Ask, and YouTube.

4. Halloween Costume Search Stats - Some interesting stats on the most popular Halloween costume searches. There are also links to some cool, geeky costume ideas.

5. Google Maps Halloween Icon - Instead of an icon of a person walking on Google Maps Street View, there’s a witch for Halloween.

We decided to post this list as an addition to our Common Questions section for use by our clients or anyone interested in getting started in SEO. These are very basic definitions, and some could be interepretted differently. Let me know if any of these need clarification.

Adwords: Google’s advertising system which shows relevant advertisements on search results pages and Web sites.

Algorithm: The mathematical function that a search engine uses to organize and rank Web sites based on the user’s query.

Alt Attribute: Provides a text description of an image when the image can’t be seen. It also helps describe the image to the search engines and helps people with screen readers access your site easier.

Analytics: A tool that gathers and measures visitor data for a Web site. This data could include the number of visitors, which pages they visited, how they got to the site, how long they stayed, etc.

Anchor Text: The text a user clicks to follow a link.

Backlink: A link that is pointing from one Web site to another.

Blog: Short for “Web Log,” it is an online journal or diary.

Click Through Rate (CTR): The number of clicks a link receives out of the possible number of clicks, or impressions (views).

Content Management System (CMS): A system that allows for easy updates to be made to a Web site.

Conversion: Occurs when a person completes the intended action. This could be making a purchase, filling out a form, downloading a file, etc.

Crawl: The process of search engine spiders gathering information from Web sites.

Directory: An organized, and often human edited, list of Web sites.

Headings: Normally used as section headlines, or for larger/more important pieces of text on a page.

HTML: Short for Hyper Text Markup Language, it is code that tells a Web browser how to display elements on a Web page.

Inbound Link: Synonymous with “backlink,” it is a link pointing from one Web site to another.

Indexed: Included in a search engine’s database.

Keyword: A word or phrase that a person might use in a search query to find a Web site. Web site owners may do research to find the most popular keywords related to their industry and include them on their Web site to capture more search traffic.

Meta Tags: Information in the Head section of a Web page that is not readily visible to human visitors. Although Meta Tags don’t play a large role in SEO anymore, the Meta Description Tag can still play a part in an overall SEO campaign.

Organic Search Results: Search results that are displayed based on the natural algorithm of the search engine, not based on the paid advertising.

On-page: Any factors within a Web page.

Off-page: Any factors that are not a part of the Web site that influence it. These could be links, advertisements, reputation management, etc.

Pay-per-click: An advertising system where an advertiser pays a certain amount of money every time a person clicks on their ad.

Query: The search term or phrase a person types into a search box.

Rank: Where a Web site is listed in the ordered list of results returned by a search engine.

Reciprocal Link: Occurs when 2 Web sites both link to each other.

Search Engine: A tool used to search indexed Web material, which is ranked in order of relevance based on the query.

Search Engine Results Page (SERP): The results that are shown after a person submits a query to a search engine.

Sitemap: A page on a Web site that displays links to all, or the most important, pages with in a site. A sitemap can be used as an efficient navigation tool for both search engines and human visitors.

Spider: A name for a search engine bot that crawls Web pages, or the process by which search engines index Web content.

Title Tag: Located at the very top of the browser in the (often) blue bar. It is the title of the Web page.

Traffic: The amount of visitors to a Web page.

We hear this all the time from clients when starting a new Web site. My answer is, “Sure, we can do that, but will it help your business?” Looking “cool” isn’t always the best strategy for a business. There are three areas that could be harmed by just looking cool and not doing real research - branding, marketing, and SEO.

As we’ve talked about many times on this blog, branding is so important for a business. Your logo, storefront, packaging, atmosphere, and philosophies all go into your brand. Is creating a flashy, “cool” Web site right for your brand? In many cases it’s not. Think about your brand and who your customers are. Are you a professional with serious-minded clients? They will probably want to see an equally professional site where they can easily access the information they’re looking for. Is your audience not very technically savvy? You’ll want to keep things simple. Here’s a link to a blog I came across recently about “trying to be cool.” It’s a year old, but still very relevant to this topic. The last paragraph sums this up perfectly:

Authenticity, originality and uniqueness. If your brand doesn’t inherently have these traits, please… don’t attempt to be cool. You’ll look like you’re having a mid-life crisis, and you will be laughed at. You can play the “cool dad” who’s still a grown-up and acts accordingly, but don’t try to be 18 again. If it’s important to connect with the younger audience, don’t do it with your existing brand… this is the time for a new one that’s created from the ground up to appeal to a different mindset.

Similar to branding is your marketing plan. Your Web site needs to be consistent with the rest of your marketing. If the site is drastically different than the rest of the marketing pieces, customers may become confused and will have a harder time trusting your brand. Having a “cool” site isn’t worth it if it turns customers away.

Finally, having a “cool” site usually means implementing fancy “tricks” with Flash and Javascript. These can obviously have detrimental effects on SEO efforts if not done in moderation. Don’t get me wrong, Flash, Javascript, and other SEO-unfriendly techniques can add a lot of value to a site when used purposefully. But when it is done just to look “cool” it is unnecessary and could hinder the effectiveness of the site. If you want to gain leads from people finding your site, you need to make sure the search engines have an easy time indexing as much material as possible. As most SEOs will tell you, “What’s the point of a pretty site if no one sees it?”

If you haven’t gone to SEOShirts.com yet, go check it out. There are some really funny shirts there. I love the “Dudes Digg SEOs” one! We decided to make a few of our own for fun. But if some one over at SEOShirts likes these, feel free to take the ideas!

“Hey Baby, Can I buy you a link?”

“Got Traffic?”

“Fish + Ken = Love”

“Feed Me”

“Give a man a link, he has traffic for a day. Teach a man to linkbait, he has traffic for life.”

“SEO experts know how to get it up.”

Here’s one for the little SEO offspring: “Don’t blame me, I’m still in Beta.”

And one more that is blatant, shameless self promotion: SEO Pirate logo

Check out this new site for Online Marketers: Gooruze. It could still use a little work, but so far I’m really enjoying it. I like the comments/rating system and the Q&A section. Here’s the feed where our blog will be mirrored: QueenBeeCassi.gooruze.com. I haven’t gotten the hang of Groups yet, but this seems like a great resource for getting into the community and meeting other Marketers.

The divide between Web Design and Print Design is growing smaller every day. More and more Web Designers and Print Designers are expected to fill both roles. This can sometimes create problems, especially when it comes to color. This is most apparent when a Web designer creates a design for print, has it printed, and realizes the colors are completely different than what was on the screen. Instead of going into the differences between RGB and CMYK myself, I’ve created a list of resources for designers on both sides to learn more about color. Color can be one of the most important aspects of a design, for both Web and Print. It’s worth taking the time to learn about how to use color to reach your desired outcome in any medium.

How color works

The difference between RGB and CMYK

More information on color models

Gamuts, spot colors, and halftones

Color management myths

RGB to CMYK conversion

CMYK for those who do RGB

Recently a Nielsen Global Survey was released confirming again that word of mouth is the most powerful selling tool. There were other interesting parts to the survey, too, including stats on how much people trust different forms of advertising. But as we see over and over again in marketing, word of mouth is King. In the online world, linking is a form of word of mouth. When you link out to another site, you are vouching for that site, and people who trust you will also trust your recommendations.

In the time before search engines, people used links to get around the Internet. It was the only way people could find new sites, unless they already knew the URL. When search engines were invented they cataloged pages on the Internet and took into account the amount of times someone “vouched” for a site. Now people didn’t have to rely on other’s first-hand word of mouth referrals, the search engines would organize that information for them.

On Wednesday we learned that AP is suing Moreover for “copyright infringement” by displaying titles and snippets of stories on their news aggregate site with out permission. By linking to a page, your are recommending it and citing it for other people to see. When writing a book or article, you cite sources, but do not need to obtain permission to use those sources. Providing links is no different. If this suit goes through, what will happen to the many news aggregate sites, or even search engines? The Internet relies on the ability of people to link (or cite) other sites - that’s why they call it the “Web.” Why would you want to be left out of that Web?

While there are many people who have never heard of SEO, there are also many who are taking advantage of its benefits. There are several industries that have a larger knowledge base in SEO. It’s easy to tell which industries are utilizing SEO tactics and which aren’t by the quality of organic results on the search engine results pages and by the amount of paid listings. A few industries that are competitive in SEO that I’ve identified, and a few that are obvious, are:

• Real Estate
• Insurance
• Car Dealerships
• Funeral Homes
• Gambling

Why are these industries taking advantage of SEO? I believe it’s because consumers expect them to be. All of these industries represent expensive items. People have learned they can go to the internet to research these items before purchasing. And the people within those industries have realized that they need to be in front of those consumers during their research phase if they want to gain that lead. Companies within these industries, who are not taking advantage of SEO are probably losing business to someone who is.

But there are also many industries who are not incorporating SEO into their marketing plan. Many of them include:

• Health care providers (doctors, dentists, etc.)
• Local restaurants
• Auto mechanics
• Specialty retail shops

Most, if not all, of these and more rely on word of mouth and drive-by/foot traffic. Our business manager, James, says the most common response when talking to someone in these industries is that their primary target market is not searching on the internet. In most cases, I find this hard to believe. I know I have searched for one or more of these services, and an increasing number of people are, too, every day.

Usually the real reasons for not using SEO are cost and fear. Many of the industries above that are not involved in SEO are putting their marketing money into traditional marketing such as TV, Newspapers, Billboards, and Phone Book ads. All of these have a finite life span and can be very expensive. Yes, setting up a Web site and starting an SEO campaign can be expensive upfront, but there is no time limit on how long it will last, and it won’t continue to cost as much money in the future.

However, fear can be a bigger obstacle to over come than cost. Many people are afraid of trying non-traditional marketing methods. Whether it is a fear of the unknown or fear of technology, it prevents people from committing to online marketing. I think with time this fear will diminish, and people within these industries will need to give in to the demand of the consumer. Many consumers are beginning to expect to find most things online, and companies that can’t provide what people are looking for will fall behind in their industry.

If you’ve been paying attention to the news lately, you’ve likely heard about about the recent Class Action Lawsuit against Target by The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) and BJ Sexton, a blind California Student. The suit was approved by judge Marilyn Hall Patel recently, but she threw out part of the NFB lawsuit. Although, this ruling doesn’t provide that all Web sites are required to be ADA accessible, it is a big towards ADA regulations being applied the internet.

The basis of the suit states that Target.com is discriminatory to blind users that access the site using reading software to vocalize hidden text on the page. The main complaints: alt tags missing on images, purchases are unable to be completed without a mouse, missing headings needed to navigate the site, and that image maps are inaccessible.

This isn’t the first time ADA regulations have been pushed online. In 2002, Southwest Airlines faced a similar suit from a blind Florida resident. This will be an interesting argument and case to watch. The Target case involves printable coupons not accessible to the blind and the inability to navigate store locator’s thus denying a disabled persons full enjoyment of services/goods of a covered accommodation. Disability Rights Advocates representing the NFB states: “If a pure internet business looked at this case and said ‘we’re off the hook’, they’re greatly mistaken.”

So what does this mean to businesses in general? Creating a Web site that is SEO friendly will likely improve your accessibility to all users, disabled or not. Vocalization software used by the blind is similar to search engine bots that index Web sites. Both are programs that have limitations that visual users do not, so designing your site to be “search engine friendly” should also help to provide access to disabled users.

There are two sides to this case and we should try and evaluate both sides. This case could open the floodgates for future lawsuits and may push socialist agendas on a capitalist society. In my opinion the potential for increased revenue by servicing all possible customers, being non-discriminant, and the potential negative PR should all out-weight the opposing viewpoint.

Okay, it’s not really sneaky, but it is something I’m sure other Webmasters have overlooked as I did. We are currently working on a site for a local business owner. It consists of 5 pages, and only one page has actual content on it right now. We also set it up with a CMS to allow for future updates. We bought the domain on Sept. 5th and began uploading the initial content/CMS software, template, etc.

On Sept. 18th we saw the first hit to the site through Google. It was a search for the business’ name, and Analytics said it was a new visit. This was very odd to us, as the site was still under construction and Google and Yahoo were both reporting 0 inbound links. I didn’t worry about it too much and decided to give it some time. But now, 2 weeks later, they’ve have 12 different searchers hit their site. Many are for some variation of the business name, but 1 of them was for one of their top (local) keywords. They’re ranked on the first page (#7) for this keyword - with zero inbound links!

Now I had to investigate; why are they cached (and ranked) already? Yahoo Linkdomain didn’t show anything, and they aren’t cached in Yahoo anyways. Google Webmaster Tools also showed no inbound links, but the entire site was cached with out any errors. I started searching online for a reason, and realized that the domain could have been previously registered and cached in Google long ago. After checking archive.org, I decided this probably wasn’t the case.

Finally, I came across this article and had an “oh, yeah!” moment.

“When you use Google toolbar with PageRank enabled, the toolbar automatically sends and records the page’s URL you visited in Google’s database. If a page URL is not found in Google’s database, Googlebot - the robot of Google, will visit this page later to index it.”

I have the Google PageRank Tool bar installed. Which would explain why the site is cached in Google and not Yahoo.

One thing was still bothering me. Why did this site get cached so fast? There is one other site we just completed not long ago that is also only 5 pages. It took almost a month for the site to be cached in Google, and it had about 2-5 links pointing to it. The only difference is that it was not built with a CMS. Another factor I considered is the fact that the first site I talked about was receiving searches for the business name and domain name, while the second site was not. I’m sure there is a logical explanation. What do you think?