Introduction to web design for Search engine optimization MBA 563 WEEK 2

WEB DESIGN FOR SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION

The importance of search – some research findings 91% of online adults use search engines to find information on the Web, and this is the most popular online activity (Pew Internet: Most popular online activities May 2013Most popular online activities May 2013 More recent research suggests that click-through rates are dropping, and that position #1 is very important More recent research suggests that click-through rates are dropping, and that position #1 is very important – CRT for the #1 position in the organic rankings at Google is 18.2% and the #2 position gets 10.05% CTR

Search engine marketing – 2 major methods OBJECTIVE for both methods IS TO BE IN THE TOP FEW SEARCH RESULTS 1.Search engine optimization (SEO) – relies on the content of web pages plus inbound link quality – called organic positioning (overview today, plus in- depth in Week 5) 2.Search engine advertising (Week 5) BOTH RELY ON THE CONCEPT OF KEYWORDS / PHRASES – that is the SEARCH TERMS that people type into search engines

Paid listings Organic listings

Understanding the fundamentals of search engine optimization Keywords / phrases are the search terms people type into search engines Search engine indexing and relevancy ranking explained – How do search engines work? (Google video 3 minutes) How do search engines work Relevancy ranking algorithms change almost constantly The concept of the “landing page” – all pages in your site are competing, so all must be individually optimized

Search engine optimization (SEO) Focuses on: 1.ensuring that you have high quality, relevant content on your pages that matches what people are searching for 2. having high quality inbound links 3.making sure that the elements that are indexed by search engines are all optimal for your key words called organic or algorithmic search results Never attempt to “game” a search engine by using deceptive practices – the site will be removed from Google’s index

Off-page optimization: Inbound links signal popularity Strongly influences relevance ranking Number and quality of sites that link to your pages (inbound links) – Must be content relevant (don’t spam!) – Avoid link exchanges – Google regularly penalizes web sites with spammy link strategies Think landing page, not just home page – remember individual pages are competing - not your entire site

Keywords and key phrases This is the most important concept to grasp in search marketing What are members of your target market actually typing into search engines? – Those are the keywords/key phrases that you must optimize for Brainstorm Do test searches to see which sites come up first in the results

Where should your keywords go? Page elements that influence rankings Title tag – in WordPress the title tag contains site name plus page name Headings (H1, H2 etc tags) – make sure you include keywords that describe the overall theme of the page Hypertext links to other parts of your site – make them keywords (never “click here”!) Alternate text - think about including key words in the alt text for your logo and other images

Page copy - keyword density Page copy - make sure your keywords are well represented – Higher in the page the better – Search engines reward sites that have valuable information create content your target audience is genuinely interested in – not all marketing copy uses the words that your customers use Relationship of a keyword phrase to the total number of words on a page = keyword density – Higher is not always better (boring for users and penalized as spam!)

SEO in your web plan: Section 4 / Subsection 3 Include information about your SEO "keywords/phrases" in a two column table. In the first column list the title of the page and in the second column write the keywords / phrases that the page is optimized for. Think about what people might type into a search engine to find a page with that type of content - those are your keywords / phrases. You will include these keywords / phrases in headings, subheadings, and in the text itself when you write your page copy. We will look in more depth at SEO in a future class so that you can consider it as an element for your internet marketing campaign project

DOMAIN NAME SELECTION AND REGISTRATION

What is a domain name? A domain name is made up of two elements that when put together must be unique – A top-level-domain – A second-level domain A domain name resolves to the numeric IP address of the web site on a web server via a Domain Name Server (this service is usually handled by the company that hosts your website) The Domain Name System - controlled by ICANN in the US (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers)ICANN In Canadian, domains are managed by (Canadian Internet Registration Authority) Each country in the world has a similar system Many resellers of domain names now, but they must be certified registrars – eg. – local ISP (Shaw, Telus etc) – Internic.ca (just one example) Internic.ca – many others

Two ways to get one: register a new (or expired) domain name or purchase an existing one Purchase the right to use the domain name for a certain period and register the name Cost per year is around $15 for a name not already registered (cost is variable – sometimes free with a hosting package) You can also buy a name from its present owner – the trade in domain names is now no longer as hot as it was a few years ago – Although toys.com was sold in 2009 for $5.1m and sex.com sold in 2010 for $13m – Domains for sale on eBay Domains for sale on eBay – Be aware that “the internet never forgets”

How important is your domain name? VERY important It is a key piece of branding for your firm Think about all the places it will be seen and heard (print materials, on the side of a bus, business cards, s, search engine results, online and offline advertising, TV and radio, personal conversation etc) Think about how people will use it – Write it down – Memorize it – Key it into a browser – Click it – Say it out loud A domain name is made up of two elements that when put together must be unique – A top-level-domain – A second-level domain

Choosing a domain name – Top Level Domains Decide which Top Level Domain(s) you want to register Types of TLDs (Wikipedia)Wikipedia Generic TLD USA only (restricted) TLD Country code TLD Internationalized Country Code TLD Generic TLD (gTLD) expansion Information about domain names (especially new gTLDs from ICANN (video 6 minutes) Information about domain names (especially new gTLDs from ICANN Country codes with liberal usage policies used for domain “hacks” or available to be licenced for commercial usage eg.:available to be licenced for commercial usage Twitch.tv (using the TLD for Tuvalu) Twitch.tv (using the TLD for the British Indian Ocean Territory)

Selecting a “second level” domain name The TLD and second level domain name pairing must be unique It will be difficult to get the name you want – creativity needed to find a domain that is: – descriptive and/or memorable (includes your keywords) – user-friendly (no hyphens) – you can say it over the phone – not too long (shorter is better) – not too difficult to spell – not too close to an established name – isn’t already in use in another TLD with dodgy content Remember you also need to protect your brand – think about registering common misspellings and derogatory domain names

Brainstorm a domain name Your firm has just started a new business that specializes in selling solar panels. You have a physical storefront in Nanaimo and plan to sell online all over Canada. The name of the business is Solar Engineering and Installation Ltd What would be a good domain name for this firm? What TLD (s) would you choose? See if it is available from internic.ca or hostpapa.com (these are just examples of hosting firms – I am not endorsing them)internic.cahostpapa.com

Staking claims to social media usernames As part of your domain name search you should also check availability of usernames on key social media accounts Register usernames even if you have no intention of using the social network service at the moment Consistent web presence is important