SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)

[Optimus01]

If anyone has any questions or concerns about SEO I would like to help you out. Either ask a question here or send me a PM.

For those that have no idea what SEO is then read on...

SEO is basically getting your website to the 1st page of Google (and other search engines) for a keyword or keyphrase relating to your products or services. This is done basically by focusing on the following:

Website content
Website design
Website development
Online identity
Website maintenance

 

[guest2013-1]

I'm pretty sure we all know what SEO is and I for one don't appreciate advertisements like this...

 

[dequadin]

Are you here yo promote your business, or help people with SEO problems?

The accepted way is to put a link in your signature, then contribute to this forum...

 

[FarligOpptreden]

Wow, you do SEO and Search Engine Optimization?! That's... just... incredible!

 

[Optimus01]

I'm pretty sure we all know what SEO is and I for one don't appreciate advertisements like this...

Its was not meant as an advertisement and I especially did not mean for it to be condescending, if that’s how it came across then I apologise.

I made this post as per the request of davemc. I would like to help people with any questions and tips on SEO (to the best of my ability) and I will do so.

@dequadin, I would like to help people with SEO problems

 

[dequadin]

@dequadin, I would like to help people with SEO problems

No problem

We get quite a few SEO questions here and our local SEO expert has had his internet taken away by his boss

The more the merrier....

 

[bradrap]

Question: What precautions should I be taking into consideration when considering the fact that Caffeine will be rolling out over the next few months and therefore changing its ranking and indexing algorithm?

+1 if you have the vaguest idea.

 

[Optimus01]

Caffeine is something that I think every SEO has been watching carefully.

I don’t know exactly what the actual changes will be, as Google is holding this one close to its chest, however the talk is:

That is will be faster (when we talking milliseconds not a big difference) but still this is good.
More relevant (not too sure how as I find it pretty good at this now).

I have also read on a few sites that it will place more emphasis on real-time search so things like Twitter, Digg, Delicious and Facebook and the content therein will start affecting search.

I would suggest keeping your onsite stuff the same but maybe increasing your tweets

I would be interested to see if anyone else knows anything else???

 

[murraybiscuit]

I made this post as per the request of davemc.

/twiddles thumbs waiting for davemc to arrive

 

[tco21]

I know of quite a few SEO companies and some of them are quite appalling at it. I'm making no connection with yours, I'm just saying.

 

[guest2013-1]

Why does Google index my affliate sites direct links?

For example, I'm affiliated with a gaming company that sells CD Key's online.

My sites structure links back to my affiliate site ID, for example: mygamingsite.com/instant-world-of-warcraft-cd-keys/

So someone will hit my site. Click on that link, and within that page there would be a "Buy now" link that looks like this:

mygamingsite.com/buy-now/instant-world-of-warcraft-cd-keys

This would then redirect to the affiliate gaming site with my affiliate Id

However, I found several times in Google that when someone searches for cd keys, and they find my site (name and everything) the link links directly to the affiliate site.

I'm not complaining, it has my affiliate ID in there and everything so it doesn't even hit my website (which is a shame because I'd like to assess traffic trends etc), but it's either indexed their site with my affiliate ID, or indexed my website content but linked directly to their site with my affiliate ID.

Any ideas? Good thing? Bad thing?

 

[Raithlin]

No problem

We get quite a few SEO questions here and our local SEO expert has had his internet taken away by his boss

The more the merrier....

I'm still around, dude. Just not as much. Guess the boss thought I was spending too much time helping others. Go figure. :|

@Optimus01 If you're here to help others, then welcome. Problem is, you won't get too many questions from the regulars (dequadin, FarligOpptreden, necuno, AcidRaZor & Co), because we pretty much know our stuff. Watch the new threads for SEO-related questions though, and feel free to jump in anywhere else you feel you may be able to contribute.

 

[Raithlin]

Why does Google index my affliate sites direct links?

Ooh, ooh, I know that one! Pick me!

Seriously, have you tried adding rel="nofollow" to your affiliate links? It prevents Google from indexing the link...

<a href="mygamingsite.com/buy-now/instant-world-of-warcraft-cd-keys" title="Instant World of Warcraft CD Keys" rel="nofollow">Buy Now</a>

 

[FarligOpptreden]

Problem is, you won't get too many questions from the regulars (dequadin, FarligOpptreden, necuno, AcidRaZor & Co), because we pretty much know our stuff.

Who's "Co"?

Funny how "us regulars" were the firsts to jump into this thread... Guess that's why we're called "regulars".

 

[Optimus01]

Sheesh you guys are quick!

Yes to stop indexing unwanted "content" no index and/or no index no follow are the way to go.

@Raithlin thanks for the heads up. I will keep my eye out for new SEO threads, but Im also happy to chat with those in the know, share some tricks and maybe learn some new stuff.

 

[Optimus01]

I know of quite a few SEO companies and some of them are quite appalling at it. I'm making no connection with yours, I'm just saying.

Yes, I know a few terrible ones and some really good ones

 

[greggpb]

I have to admit, I have in computers and programming for years, but I still don't understand how SEO companies make their money.

*edit* Maybe I should say SEO websites make their money

 

[Raithlin]

I have to admit, I have in computers and programming for years, but I still don't understand how SEO companies make their money.

*edit* Maybe I should say SEO websites make their money

By bamboozling people that are not in the know into parting with their hard earned cash for keywords that don't count any more.

Seriously, if you know how to use standards to your benefit, you can change a website's coding setup to be more spider friendly. That's how good companies make their money.

 

[davemc]

/twiddles thumbs waiting for davemc to arrive

Dude, you're going to wear out your thumbs.
Koedoes to Optimus01 for jumping in, head first.

I have 2 things I am going to ask:

I have heard, about SEO, that:
Your content must be mono-topical.
i.e.:
If your website covers too much of a range of stuff, it gets treated like a news site, and only the newest stuff is kept on top of the results. But, if there is very specific focus, you're already 70% of the way to being on top and staying on top.

Am I hearing wrong?

and

Google is localising results more and more.
i.e.:
Search results from a South African user tend to show results from local (South African) websites (locally managed, not locally hosted) with higher priority.

Care to comment on the viability of my observation?

 

[guest2013-1]

I forgot to mention that all my links for buy now does have nofollow on them... hence my question and why it was weird seeing Google index it...