Author Archive
The Do’s and Don’ts of Optimizing your Website
March 31, 2011 | 
Author I bet your first question is “Why tell me how to do something that iTitans charges for?” Simple. We are glad to share our experience in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) with others. Some will see the monumental task that it is and hire us, others will be thankful for the information we provide and come back many times perhaps needing us for something in the future. Either way we are not helping our readers if we keep what we have learned over the years locked away in some top secret vault.
So the time has come to begin testing your website, remember that optimization is not only about how your site appears to search engines, but how it is useful to you potential clients. So where do you start? What is the first step? Following are some do’s and don’ts that will help you develop a successful testing strategy.
Do Test your site properly: Just because your sales shot up 60% after some minor changes to the Home page does not mean the tweak is responsible for your new success. There are many variables to consider in a case like this, Had you sent out a newsletter or email? Was a sale running? Before you can determine if your new page is truly out performing your old page you must test both pages by running them at the same time under identical conditions. A split test using something like the free website optimizer by Google will give you the data you need to determine if your success is indeed coming from your new page.
Don’t be afraid of failing: When optimizing your web site, failure is success. If you develop a new landing page and find that it is underperforming compared to an earlier version or did not bring any noticeable results that is a success. Remember to test properly and use what you have learned on your next design. As your site continues to evolve you will find more of what works and what does not.
Do Be Patient: Once you start a test (between 2 versions of a page) let it play out until you have a clear winner, fight the temptation to end the test if the version you prefer is edging out another. You are best not to check results until the end of the test, or at least a predetermined milestone (x number of sales) before making any such decision. If at the end of the test you still have no clear winner you may want to go back and retool your newest version again until you have one.
Don’t Waste Time on Disagreements: Let testing settle them, properly testing your pages is the ultimate argument settler. Why waste time arguing with team members, managers, or clients about what the best route is when you are basing that on opinion and not hard data. Get away from the “let’s do it” attitude and move over to a “let’s test it” method.
Do Test High Priority Pages First: Start with pages that get the most traffic and are higher in the conversion funnel. Look first to pages that have the highest bounce rate or exit rate. After you have tested all of those move on to pages that customers spend the shortest amount of time on. If they are spending so little time on the page is it even necessary? Finally test the key pages of your site, your spotlight product, site registration page, checkout, etc.
Don’t Deploy Too Many Versions At Once: While you can certainly develop many versions of a page and test them all at the same time it is very easy for the data to become to scattered to determine a clear winner. You should not really test more than 3 versions of a page at the same time, if none of them outshine the others significantly then you can add a new version into the mix.
What separates a poor site from a good site from a great site is site optimization. If you adhere to the steps above you will find that job much easier.
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Keyword Density (KD): Revisiting an SEO Myth
By E Garcia
Back in March of 2005 I wrote The Keyword Density of Non Sense article for Mike Grehan’s newsletter. An expanded and improved version was also published at Mi Islita.com. After these articles, many SEOs saw the light.
However, in an attempt at perpetuating KD myths, few SEOs tried to reformulate the alleged importance or usefulness of keyword density by presenting KD as a spam detection filter used by search engines. Good try, but this still is non sense and another SEO myth.
Ask these folks about any proof of these claims to see if they can provide one. If you read between lines what they are trying to do is to keep their KD tools relevant and alive. They just want to insists in dumb ideas and theories they nurtured around keyword density. A “saving face” effort can be recognized by the many twists involved.
This simply reinforces my notion that these folks either don’t get it or don’t have a background on IR.
I’m working on a paper on local term weigths, called Understanding Local Weights. It is clear from the several models examined that some scales can be used as math red flags for detecting spam. Here is a sneak preview:
Let Lij be the local weight of term i in doc j. We can defined Lij in many different ways and as a function of fij, wherein fij is the ocurrence (frequency) of term i in doc j.
Two candidate scales to think about are FREQ and LOGA.
FREQ Scale
If term i is in doc j, then Lij = fij; else, Lij = 0.
This is the most common model SEOs know about, wherein local weights are given as raw frequencies. KD lovers simply divide an fij value by total # of words and call that KD.
This primitive way of defining local weights (as Lij = fij) is used in the old IR literature and in few simplistic models. For instance, early LSI papers used local weight-only scores. These are the same papers often misquoted by SEOs. The fact is that we normally use Lij=fij to teach students basic things. Then, they can move on and learn about other local weighting schemes and improved LSI models.
FREQ has several drawbacks and limitations. For example, it assumes that a term repeated x times weighs x times more, which we know is not necessarily true.
So, if doc1 repeats the term “crap” once and doc2 repeats this term ten times then
L(crap, doc1) = f = 1
L(crap, doc2) = f = 10
which assumes that crap is ten times more important in doc 2 than in doc 1 or that doc2 is ten times more pertinent to crap than doc1.
LOGA Scale
If term i is in doc j, then Lij = 1 + log fij; else, Lij = 0.
This model is a bit better than FREQ. It is a logarithm augmented scale at a given base. A base 2 or base 10 scale is often used. Other base values are possible.
If I use base 10 logarithms in the example, then
L(crap, doc1) = 1 + log(1) = 1 + 0 = 1
L(crap, doc2) = 1 + log(10) = 1 + 1 = 2
The term weight just doubles. Term repetitions don’t increment drastically local weights. Now if I want to make a third document, doc3, three times more heavier in “crap” than in doc1,
L(crap, doc3) = 1 + log(100) = 1 + 2 = 3
So, I would need to repeat the term 100 times. That’s a lot of crap!
More likely, valid keywords repeated 100, 1000, etc in a single web page for sure will raise a spam red flag. Thus LOGA can work as both a weighting scheme and an obvious spam detector.
No doubt that both FREQ and LOGA have some drawbacks and that there are better local scoring models (log normalized, squared, local entropy, etc). All these models are designed to address specific extreme cases. Still KD is not nearly around in any of these models.
How do I know if Google or Yahoo is using LOGA or other published local weight models? I don’t know so I am not going to speculate.
I am sure about one thing: How natural would be repeating a term 100 or 1000 times in a single web page? Exactly.
So, if I use LOGA at base 10 in my own experimental search engine I would be inclined to tag as spam any doc with Lij around 3. I would probably use a maximum upper bound around Lij = 2 or less.
There are better local term weight scales. Wait for my article and learn why.
On and on, next time you hear or read about the virtues of KD, get a gas mask or think about… toilet paper.
How to get your Google Page Rank
A sites page rank can be rather important, it expresses not only an abstract of incoming links but the authority Google gives to outgoing links from your site. Check it here.
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Check Page Rank of your Web site pages instantly: |
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This page rank checking tool is powered by Page Rank Checker service |
The severe impact of using Black Hat SEO techniques
An online entrepreneur would like his website to be the first name in the result that search engines throw up for relevant topics. At times, you must have come across a certain Search Engine Optimizer (SEO) that guarantees a place of your website in the top 10 results. This is exactly what you want, but exactly something you musn’t buy!
No company on earth can assure you a forefront place in the search engines. There exists no SEO tools that can make your site attain overnight popularity, but what exists are merely some tricks, which some SEO firms use to make some quick bucks. However, their ‘work’ will do your site anything but good. Assume that this works and your site is right on the top of the search results, and stays for quite a period of time. But eventually the search engines come across these tricks and will impose a penalty. That’s what a black hat SEO is – fooling the search engines. For the benefit of one’s own business, one should shy away from such SEO firms and avoid the following things:
Overstuffing pages with keywords:
Cramming the pages of your website with the main keywords and offering little more then a page of ‘tags’ will get search engines to drop you in a heartbeat.
Invisible/ Hidden Text:
This is almost the same as cramming the key words. Invisible text is considered a serious no-no by the search engines and can be extremely harmful for your website, so why use it in the first place?
Doorway pages:
These are the non-existent or the fake pages which are designed for specific words or phrases which are viewed mainly by the search engines rather than the visitors. The entire logic behind the building of a Search Engine Optimizer is to enhance the experience of the user, and getting web pages that no living person can ever view will surely not be viewed well. Many main search engines like Google, etc. have severe policies to combat doorway pages.
Link Farms:
Many popular search engines are against artificial linking like link stuffing and link farms, etc. So linking farms will do nothing but get your site banned from the database of the search engine.
It can be concluded that whatever the search engines view as being spam or junk, is banned by them. Most of the techniques are bound to get you result in the short-term, but in the long-run, a ban or a flag is all that you will get. Moreover, using a black hat SEO also raises serious doubts on the credibility of your website and business that you’re pursuing online.
So rather than opting for a SEO, its better to get your site fixed by page optimization. And while doing it, it’s better not to keep in mind the search engines. The main priority should be the benefit of your end-customers. If you’re being loyal to them, the net result will automatically follow and instead of gaining popularity by immoral means, you’ll gain it even without these SEO, and the search engines respect that!
Is Your Ezine Being Zapped?
by Michael Southon
About a year ago I wrote an article titled ‘Winning The War On Sp^m’. Unfortunately, the war on sp^m is not being won at all.
In fact, the problem is now so serious that sp^am is shaping up to be the greatest threat to online marketing.
The threat comes not from sp^mmers themselves, but from the filters that are being used to block them.
These filters are hitting hard at the very core of ecommerce - Ezine Publishing.
Anti-sp^m filters operate at two levels: (i) client-side programs that reside on individual computers and (ii) server-side programs that ISPs are using to block incoming sp^m.
The problem is that the filters are now so sensitive they are blocking even the most innocent of Newsletters.
For example, if your Newsletter contains the words ‘remove’, ’unsubscribe’ or ‘click here’ it will trigger anti-sp^m filters in many of the programs that are now being used by ISPs.
The result?
Your Ezine is zapped, deleted – and a large percentage of your subscribers will think you have stopped publishing your Newsletter.
What can you do about it?
Here are some tips to avoid sp^m filters:
(1) Post your Newsletter online and then email your subscribers to tell them that the latest issue is now available online.
(2) In your Newsletter carefully avoid (both in the subject line and the body text) all words that are likely to trigger anti-sp^m filters. Use the free service listed at the end of this article – it will flag any words in your Newsletter that trigger anti-sp^m filters.
(3) Instead of saying ‘to unsubscribe’ (which is a phrase commonly found in sp^m), say ‘If you no longer wish to receive…’ or ‘If you wish to leave this mailing list…’ or ’To take yourself off this list…’
(4) If there are trigger words that you simply cannot avoid, you can disguise them using carets (^) or other symbols. The ‘F’ word would become fr^e and the ‘U’ word would become
uns^bscribe.
(5) Include the word ‘Newsletter’ in the subject line of your email – this will help the filters identify your email as non-sp^m.
(6) Avoid whole words in upper case. In many Newsletters the headers are capitalized – this will trigger the filters.
(7) If your Newsletter contains ads, scrutinize them carefully - ezine ads, by definition, contain words frequently used by sp^mmers.
Here is a fr^e service that will help you avoid sp^m filters. Before you mail out your Newsletter, just send a copy of it to the email address below with TEST in the subject line:
mailto:spamcheck@sitesell.net
Within a few seconds you’ll receive a report that analyses your Newsletter and gives you a score (0 to 5=no problems 12-16=over the limit for most ISPs).
If you write articles, it’s worth submitting them to this test as well, together with your Resource Box (I just sent this article to Sp^mCheck and got a score of 4.6).
Sp^mCheck is operated by Sp^mAssassin, a filter that is widely used by ISPs – so this is a good test of whether your Newsletter will get through to your subscribers.
About the Author
Michael Southon has been writing for the Internet for over 3 years. He has shown hundreds of web masters how to use this simple technique to get massive free publicity and dramatically increase traffic and sales. To find out more, please visit: http://www.ezine-writer.com.
SEO Tip: Underscore or Dash in URLs
Ever wonder whether you should use a dash versus an underscore in your URLs? Following is the definitive answer given by the almighty SEO guru Matt Cutts.
Recently we recommended to a client that they change their web site URLs from ‘keyword1_keyword2′ (using underscore) to ‘keyword1-keyword2′ (using dash).
You are wondering why right?
Well according to the almighty Matt Cutts, the master of how Goggle interprets your site on the web, he recommends using dashes for Google.
In his article, “Dashes vs. Underscores“, if your URL reads ‘keyword1_keyword2′ Google will only return that page if the user searches for ‘keyword1_keyword2′ (which almost never happens).
If however your URL reads ‘keyword1-keyword2′, that page can be returned for the searches for both ‘keyword1′, ‘keyword2′, and even ‘keyword1 keyword2′.
So there the answer is, in dash vs underscore, dash is the clear winner.
Your customers know the answers to a surprising number of your marketing problems. Why not ask them?
Ever wonder why visitors abandon your website, or why it has not grown like you thought it would? Do you get tons of visitors to your site but never seem to make a sale or have the user opt in to your newsletter? How often do you feel like you are banging your head against the wall trying to improve your web site? The answers to those questions might be easier to get than you think, just ask your visitors for their input.
We have all seen online surveys, from all star voting to who had the best dress at the oscars. You would be surprised just how many people will give you just the information you have been looking for. There are tons of survey add ons for blogs and websites, we have found one of the better ones to be Survey Monkey, but look around for the one that suits you best and start getting some data on what might not be working with your site.
Simple Example
Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world’s leading questionnaire tool.
Are people able to find their way around your website?
While working on a client’s website today, we pulled out an old “must have” book, Don’t Make Me Think! by Steve Krug. The title says it all: the people that visit your site want to feel comfortable when they arrive.
Let us quote Krug:
“…as far as is humanly possible, when I look at a Web page it should be self-evident. Obvious. Self-explanatory… I should be able to “get it” — what it is and how to use it — without expending any effort thinking about it.”
For instance, if you want to give folks the opportunity to get in touch with you, make it obvious — put a big “Contact Us” or “Email” button, or your phone number big and bold on your homepage. Don’t make your visitor hunt for it, click on one page, then another, and then have the poor soul pull out a magnifying glass to find what she needs in a tiny font at the bottom somewhere. Remember, as important as you think you are, there are literally thousands of websites in your business category. If you frustrate your visitors, they’ll bolt for a more accommodating web destination.
Another point to remember is to keep your navigation simple. The internet has a certain rhythm to it. People click, click, click on sites and every time they do, they look to the left expecting to see a navigational menu. If it’s not there, they’ll look under the header. If it’s not in either of those places, people sweat and have to start thinking — and what’s the title of Krug’s book? That’s right, Don’t Make Me Think!
There are exceptions to the last point. If you have a really, REALLY cool-looking site, you can get away with hiding your menu items behind splotches of artwork scattered all over the place (like an Easter egg hunt). Our company’s first site was like that, and someday we’ll likely bring its core back from the dead as a new and improved template for a lucky client. In that rare instance, the site’s identity is both informational AND vastly entertaining. But in most cases, keep it simple.
These web development “golden rules” remains the same no matter if you are in Worcester MA, Providence RI, Montreal or Mumbai.If you’d like to learn more of Steve Krug’s thoughts, visit sensible.com
The Importance of social media
John DiPietro came across an interesting article talking about the importance of using social media
“It wasn’t that long ago that C-level executives would snicker at the IT guys experimenting with a silly thing called “e-mail.” Why, they would ask, would you send someone an electronic message when you could pick up the phone, or simply have your secretary write and hand deliver an office-wide memo?”
Study shows Advergames influence consumers
This is why companies are spending time and money developing interactive brands.
A recent study found that food manufacturers’ use of “advergames” — online games that companies use to boost traffic to their Web sites and promote their brands — may indeed influence kids’ eating choices.
When researchers had children play advergames that focused on cookies and chips, the kids wanted those same foods afterward. But when the games featured fruit and orange juice, the children tended to want those foods for a post-game snack.
This article from Newsweek, 2005 was right on target about the future of advergames.
The momentum is building. In a recent U.S. Association of National Advertisers survey, 9 percent of companies said they had advertised via videogames in the past year, and 13 percent plan to in the future. Corporate giants like Nokia, and even the U.S. Army, have produced advergames.