SEO & Internet Marketing

Common Internet Marketing Abbreviations & Terms

SEO: Search Engine Optimization
SEM: Search Engine Marketing
PPC: Pay Per Click
ROI: Return on Investment
PLR: Private Label Rights: Refers to content/articles sold to more than one party.
Organic Traffic: Organic traffic is, in essence, “free traffic;” it’s any traffic that comes to your site
that you didn’t pay for, (eg, pay per click ads).

What is Search Engine Optimization?

To understand search engine optimization, you must understand how search engines work.
Forgive me if this sounds very elementary, but so as not to confuse anyone, I want to start from
ground zero, so to speak.

What is a Search Engine?

The best way to describe a search engine is as the Yellow Pages of the internet. They index
every site on the web. The internet is dominated by three major search engines: Google.com (by
far the most popular), Yahoo.com and MSN.com (a Microsoft property).
If you want to find a business on the internet, instead of pulling out a big, thick yellow book, you
log onto your favorite search engine and start typing.

How Search Engines Work

Search engines work to locate information for web surfers. When you want to find something on
the web, you go to your favorite search engine and type in some words. In SEO speak, these are
known as keyword phrases. Two types of results pop up: organic results and paid results,
illustrated below.

The results that pop up are what the search engine in question thinks are the most relevant – of
the billions of web pages on the internet – to what you’re looking for.
As a business, you want to be as high up in organic search results as possible because most
web surfers don’t look past the first three pages of results returned, according to an April
2008 survey reported by eMarketer.com, an industry leading analyzer and researcher of online
and digital media businesses.

The survey found that:
Nearly seven out of 10 respondents said they clicked a search result within the
first page of results, and 92% clicked a result within the first three pages of
search results. . . . fewer search engine users surveyed were willing to click
results past the third page . . . .” [Source: eMarketer.com, Searching for SEO:
Searchers prefer organic results]

So, how do you get on the first few pages of results? This is where SEO gets interesting.
All most internet users know about search engines is how to find stuff using them. But, if you’re
going to start pouring money into marketing on the web, then you must go a step further and
learn how search engines operate. Specifically, how they find and rank sites.

How Search Engines Find and Rank Sites

Search engines find and rank sites by using what’s known as spiders or robots (aka bots). They
troll the web, cataloguing sites as they find them. HOW they catalogue sites is key to ranking well.
This is known as search engine optimization.
Let’s say you have an offline store that sells antique dolls. A (keyword) phrase you’d probably
want to rank well for is “antique dolls”. If someone types in that phrase, you’d want to be on the
first few pages of results, that way they’d click through to your site and buy something.
So how do you get there? How do you get on the first few pages of results? Well, by helping the
spiders/bots categorize your site properly. IE, by having a website that is search engine friendly.
This means having it properly “optimized.” It’s like going to the video store to rent a DVD. If you
want a horror flick, you’d go to the horror section, NOT the romance section. You do certain
behind-the-scenes things (ie, optimize your site) to help search engine spiders put your site in the
right category.

What are these behind-the-scenes things?
Read on.

How to Make Your Site Search Engine Friendly
Following are four things you can do to make your site search-engine friendly.

I) Fill It With Keyword Rich Text: A search engine friendly website should be filled with
keyword-rich text. What are keywords?
Keywords are the words/phrases web surfers type in to find stuff on the internet. Having content
on your site with relevant keywords sprinkled throughout will help search engine spiders discern
what the site is all about – and return it in search results.
This is usually accomplished via SEO articles, which can be about anything you want. The more
content (eg, SEO articles) you have on your site, the better.
The key to success with keywords is to use actual words and phrases that real web surfers type
into search engines.

This is what keyword discovery and keyword analysis is all about. Once you find out what these
popular phrases are, then you can write (or hire an SEO copywriter to write) keyword-rich articles.
SEO copywriters know how to use the right keyword density, how to write attention-grabbing
headlines; and where to place keywords in text so that search engines rank a particular page high
in search results. These are just some of the reasons SEO copywriting is a highly valued skill.
Learn more about New Media Words’ SEO copywriting services at:
http://www.newmediawords.biz/seo-copywriting.htm.

II) Get Backlinks: Backlinks are probably the single most important thing you can do to make
your site more search engine friendly, after adding keyword rich content. What are backlinks?
Backlinks are simply links back to your website. They are also known as inbound links. And, the
reason they are so important is that search engines like them.

A very important note about backlinks: You want one-way backlinks, not reciprocal links. What’s
the difference? One-way backlinks are sites that link back to yours. Reciprocal links are where
you trade links with another site (eg, you link to my site and I’ll link to yours).
Search engines rank sites with lots of one-way backlinks higher than those with reciprocal links
because they are seen as more of an authority site. Think about it this way, if a site has a lot of
one-way backlinks, that means a lot of people find the information on that site relevant enough
that they link to it (ie, share it), without any return favor.

A site with a lot of reciprocal links ranks lower because it’s kind of like a conspiracy, eg, you
scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. Which site would you trust more – the one that everybody
recommends even though they get nothing out of it, or one that has a lot of reciprocal links?
How do you get backlinks? Article marketing is a very effective strategy, for it spreads your
content far and wide on the web. By allowing others to publish your content on their site, in their
newsletter, on their blog, in forums, etc., you earn a backlink every time the link appears.

Social media marketing is another way. This is interacting on sites like Twitter, MySpace and
Facebook. One article on your site or post on your blog that goes viral can bring in thousands of
visitors.

What is “going viral”, ie, viral marketing?
It is content/video that spreads like wildfire across the net.
A more official definition is “any marketing technique that encourages web users to pass along an
advertiser’s message.” This creates the potential for explosive visibility. One of the most
outrageously successful examples of viral marketing is Hotmail, which spreads its message with
every email sent out.
To learn more about article marketing and backlinks, visit http://www.newmediawords.biz/articlesubmission.
htm.
To learn more about social media marketing, visit http://www.newmediawords.biz/social-mediamarketing.
htm
Note: We’ll talk more about article marketing later.

III) Keep Things Like Flash & Images to a Minimum: Search engine spiders like text, for it
gives them the information they need to do their job. Without getting too technical, a website with
things like Flash and a lot of images makes it very hard for spiders to judge what a site is about.
If you happen to have a site like this, at the very least name the images using keyword-rich words
and phrases. For example, instead of naming an image photo1.jpg, name it mustang-autoparts1.
jpg (if you have a site that sells mustang auto parts, for example). This way, when search
engine spiders crawl your site, they’ll have some real, descriptive text to grab on to.
Also, block as much text together as you can. This way, search engines can at least get an idea
of what your site is about.

A note about flash and other web imagery: Unless your site caters to an industry where this is
important, leave it out. When most people surf the web, they want INFORMATION. And, they
want it as quickly as possible. So while Flash may make your site look cutting edge, it could be
losing you business because many surfers will simply click away.

IV) Write Your Meta Tags: The three most important meta tags according to many internet
marketing experts are the Title, Description and Keyword tags.

The title tag is arguably the most important meta tag, for it tells search engine spiders what a
specific page on a website is all about. It is the description that is displayed in your web browser’s
window at the very top of the page (that white writing that appears across the top).

Many companies make the mistake of having the same title tag on every page of their site. This is
not helpful to search engines. Each page on your site should be treated as its own separate
entity; hence, it should have its own unique title. This is especially true if you carry many different
products across many different categories.

Your title tag should contain some of your high-traffic keyword phrases and should explain exactly
what the surfer can expect to find on that particular page (as opposed to your entire site).
Many site owners will begin their title tag with their company name. This means diddly squat to
search engines. Your title tag should start with a high-traffic keyword that describes what the web
surfer will find on that page. Access any page of http://NewMediaWords.biz to see what I mean.
The description tag is what surfers read when your site pops up in organic search results. It
helps them decide whether or not to even click on your site, so you definitely want this tag to be
present – and accurate.

The keyword tag is a thorough list of words and phrases that best describe your site. They
should be directly relevant to the specific page at hand. They can also contain keywords that are
relevant to your site as a whole.

While many don’t put a lot of stock in meta tags, they should be written for every page on your
site – if for no other reason than they give search engine spiders

Frequently Asked Questions about Internet Marketing

Following are some questions I’ve fielded from clients new to internet marketing.

What’s the difference between a blog post and an SEO article?
A blog post is shorter than an SEO article. Blog posts are 50-300 words usually. Most fall in the
200-300-word range.

SEO articles are usually 250-500 or 600 words. Most are in the 350-400 word range. They can be
much longer, but you’ll usually be charged a higher rate for articles longer than 400 words.
Blog posts and SEO articles are written with certain keyword phrases in mind. Sometimes, an
SEO article will have more than one keyword phrase (which again, costs more). Blog posts rarely
have more than one keyword phrase, because they’re so short.

Why are SEO articles more expensive than blog posts?
Because they’re longer, hence take longer to write.

What’s the difference between an SEO article and a press release?
Many confuse press releases with other types of content (eg, SEO articles/web content) because
they are about the same length 350-400 words, more or less. However, press releases are a
different animal altogether. They are a highly targeted advertising medium that require research
and must be written in a certain journalistic style.

About Press Releases: The whole purpose of a press release is to attract the attention of the
media. Companies use them to get interviews in newspapers, on TV and in other types of
mainstream media.

Since the purpose of writing a press release is to attract the media, they must be written with a
particular slant in mind. For example, a writer would look at what’s hot in the news at any given
moment and try to tie your company’s product/service in to that so that journalists will be more
likely to pick up your story.

Remember, journalists don’t care about your product, service, company, etc. What they care
about is how it will help/appeal to their readers and viewers. So, if your company sells a wood
floor cleaner, you wouldn’t write a press release discussing the features of the wood cleaner (eg,
how it’s better than other products, the fact that it’s cheaper, etc.).

You’d have a better chance of getting picked up by the media if you press release was written
with a “green” slant in mind, for example. Green (eg, environmentally safe) topics are hot in the
news right now.

So if you wrote a press release discussing how your company’s wood floor cleaner is made from
100% natural ingredients, which makes it ideal for families because it keeps your pets, kids and
the environment safe, then it’s a “newsworthy” item.


A good press release will throw in a statistic or two from noted organizations, hence they require
research. Press releases also must be formatted a certain way, or they will stand out as
unprofessional, making it unlikely to get noticed by the media.

About SEO Articles: SEO articles, on the other hand, are just simple web copy written with a
keyword phrase in mind. Again, they are usually 350-400 words long, and require no particular
format. They are not written with journalists in mind (although well-written SEO articles covering
“hot” topics could very well garner media attention).

What’s the difference between a press release and a company announcement?
Many confuse press releases with company announcements. Company announcements are
those short notices posted on a business website in the “Media” section. They may announce a
new hire, a product launch, an award the company received, etc.
Technically, these are not press releases; they are company announcements. But, most refer to
them as press releases. While company announcements make your company look more
professional, most journalists have no interest in them – unless you’re a large, well-known
company (eg, Google, Microsoft, etc.).
They do make your company look more professional though, so by all means add them to your
site if you wish.

Do you place press releases for clients?
We place press releases on PRLog.com for clients. It’s a free press release distribution service.
We don’t actively shop your release to media outlets. That’s what a PR consultant/firm does. And,
that’s why they cost a mint.
A note about free press release distribution: We write press releases with SEO in mind. Why?
Because, much like any other online content, once it’s live (eg, on PRLog.com), it will get picked
up by search engines and become a part of the web for years.
So while we don’t “place” press releases, you do get search engine marketing bang for your buck
because we always keep SEO in mind.

What is an article directory?
An article directory is a website that allows you to submit content for free. The purpose of article
directories is to get backlinks, which increases traffic (and sales).
You submit articles to article directories in hopes that they will get picked up and published by
others (newsletter publishers, other websites, blogs, etc.). You grant these publishers the right to
reprint your content – FREE – as long as your resource box (explained below) remains intact.
EzineArticles.com is the #1 article directory on the web. There are literally thousands of them
though. All have many categories for you to submit your content to. Log on to
http://EzineArticles.com to get a feel for what article directories are all about.

What is a resource box?
A resource box is a few lines of text that authors put at the end of articles they submit to article
directories. The whole purpose of a resource box is to get backlinks. This link is usually one that
goes back to the author’s website.
The resource box is the main reason you write and distribute articles via article directories.
There’s an art to writing them so that they’re effective. If you don’t know how to write your
resource box, article marketing can be a complete waste of time.
Click on any article in http://EzineArticles.com and look at the end of it to see the resource box.

What is article directory submission?
Quite simply, writing articles and distributing them via article directories like EzineArticles.com.
You have to create an account with each directory to submit articles to them. Each article
directory has its own set of rules (eg, article length, where links in articles can appear, whether or
not links in articles can appear, keyword density, etc.).
While tedious, article marketing (eg, submitting articles to article directories) is one of the most
effective, low-cost methods of online advertising that exists.
We use ContentCrooner.com to automate the article directory submission process. Learn more
about that here: http://newmediawords.biz/article-submission1.htm.

Should I register a domain name for my company blog, or is using a free service like
blogger ok?
It is my professional opinion that every company should stay away from free blogging platforms
and register their own domain name.

In most cases, if you have a website, you can simply add your blog to it. Eg, if your company is
ABCCompany.com, your company’s blog could be at ABCCompany.com/blog. Why should you
go this route? Two reasons: image and cost.

Free blogging platforms don’t give your company the right image. It pegs you as unprofessional.
With competition on the web being as stiff as it is, you need every competitive edge you can get.
This is an easy one to take advantage of.

As for cost, at some point, if you start with a free blogging platform, you’re going to have to move
it to your company site. It happens to every serious business (trust me, I know). And, it can be a
paid in the patootie to move from one platform to another.

It can cause you to lose PR rank in search engines (for what that’s worth), and is just an allaround
hassle. If you have the foresight to start out the right way, ie on your own domain, you will
be so glad you did down the road.