The Evolution of an SEO Specialist

The Evolution of an SEO Specialist

Over the last 10 years or so, the role of a traditional SEO (search engine optimization) specialist has evolved to the point where the original sets of responsibilities no longer apply.

The role of an SEO specialist has transformed to that of a Web Presence Specialist; there is much more that has to be taken into consideration for a website to rank properly in search engine results. This is even more true over the last 3 years, or so.

What used to be a small set of responsibilities has grown to a fairly large and exhaustive list of tactical and strategic tasks.

From about 2004 to about 2009, our SEO specialists focused on 4 to 5 key areas as illustrated by the following graphic:

 

And now, in 2011, an SEO Specialist, rather a Web Presence Specialist, has to account for a whole lot more, as shown in this graphic:

 

For those in the SEO field, this represents a fundamental shift in the thought and implementation process. What used to be a (relatively) simple set of responsibilities has now grown to significantly larger set of tasks.  At Arnima, a Florida SEO company, we strive to continually keep on top of the evolution of search engine optimization and this allows us to continually adjust our SEO services to obtain the best results for our clients.

Please note that the actual list of tasks is much more exhaustive than what is displayed above. The above list is simplified to cover the essential elements of optimization from a macro perspective.

The Effect of Google’s Panda Update

The Effects of Google's Panda Update

The latest update from Google is poised to transform the world of search engine optimization (SEO). With this update, Google’s search engine ranking algorithms will take into account not just the popularity of a website or web page, but will also take into consideration the overall user experience of that website or web page.

Using the technology of machine learning, search engine spiders will focus on more than just the quantifiable markers of a website’s popularity or relevance. Essentially, a website will now have to provide an overall positive user experience to gain and maintain top search engine rank.

Prior to this update, best SEO practices were focused on traditional techniques such as:
-increasing the number of inbound links using link building, directory submissions etc
-ongoing content optimization and keyword improvement
-regular updates to content, such as a blog

Sure, these things will still continue to matter but not as much as they did before. The Panda update has, more than anything, taken some of the power away from the purely technical SEO company and handed that to the human user!

A website or web page must now provide an overall experience that will satisfy a human end user:
-Is the design attractive?
-Is everything in the right place?
-Is what is being looked for easy to find?
-Is the content not only interesting but varied enough to be of real value?
-Will the content entice the user come back multiple times?
-Did the user give a vote of confidence to the website or web page?

The job of an SEO (Search Engine Optimizer) has transformed into that of a WPS – Web Presence Strategist – as the disciplines of web design and development and search engine optimization now converge. Whilst an SEO specialist could previously focus on solely the technical aspects of SEO, he or she now must include much more to get a website to rank well on Google.com.

SEO companies will start to deal with machines that learn which websites are liked better by human users. It will be important to focus on this human element in addition to continuing to work on the traditional elements of SEO. Social media is expected to play a critical part and the likes and dislikes of human users and this will surely have a serious impact on the search engine ranks of websites.

The bottom line is to provide maximum value for human users – attractive design, simple and easy navigation, great usability, uncluttered layouts and interesting – and relevant –  content. All of these will matter. The Panda update has ensured that new referrals will come to businesses in a much more organic way, i.e., via recommendations, Diggs, Facebook likes, Google +1s, etc. No longer will people just find a new business based only on its technical adherence to search engine optimization algorithm specs.

As a Florida SEO company, Arnima, is strategically positioned to assist you with making sure that your website continues to rank well by incorporating the essential aspects of the Panda update into your website marketing strategy whilst maintaining the traditional SEO technical elements.

How to Rank High on Bing

How to Rank High on Bing

How to Rank High on Bing.com

Historically, Google has commanded the largest share of the search engine traffic market. However, that is now changing. Ever since Yahoo started serving up Bing results, it is worth focusing some SEO effort on Bing, especially if catering to US-based traffic. The latest figures from Experian’s Hitwse indicate that Bing’s overall search engine traffic share is creeping up into the 30% range. (Note that this includes both Bing.com and Yahoo).

Before Yahoo starting serving up Bing-powered search results, it may have been more practical to focus primarily on getting a high rank on Google since it commanded the largest share of the search traffic market; for some people focusing as much effort on the much smaller share of Yahoo and Bing (or MSN as it was known before) was often hard to justify. Furthermore, since the search algorithms for Bing and Yahoo are different from Google and can sometimes be in conflict with each other so Bing and Yahoo tended to get less attention.

Things are different now. It is time to take Bing more seriously.

Here are 3 simple tips that will help get websites to rank high on Bing. And since there is some overlap between SEO techniques that apply to Google and Bing, adding these techniques to properly executed SEO should help Google search results as well.

Exact (Keyword) Match Domain Names

Google will often give a higher rank if the search terms exactly match a domain name. Consider our own website, http://www.seo-company-florida.com. As of the writing of this article, it ranks at #1 on both Google and Bing for the search terms “seo company florida” and ranks at #2 on Bing for “seo florida”. This rank is helped by the exact match domain name. Do note that exact match domain names work best with .com, .net, or .org domains and less so for with domain extensions. If you are launching a new website, take the time to see of you can find a domain name (.com, .net or .org) that exactly matches your main search term(s).

Link Quality

Google may not give much (if any) value for the possibly “dirtier” links; Bing does not appear to penalize the “dirtiness” of links as much as Google does so link quality can be a bit lower than Google’s and one can get away with it. However, one needs to tread carefully in this area – it is always best to follow proper SEO techniques and go after links that are of as high quality as possible. Of course this depends on the website being optimized.

Inline Links

SEO for Google is heavily dependent on links. Links from articles, blogs, directories, videos, content pages and all other sources. Google just loves links. When it comes to Bing, things are a bit different. Bing, of course, loves links and places good value on all kinds of links but just not as much as Google. Bing is partial to what are known as “inline links”. So, what exactly are “inline links”? These are links that appear within the content of a web page and within the text of an article or a blog post or a web page. Bing simply does not assign as much value to links from directories, article and video syndication websites.

Consider this:
This is an editorial link that makes sense to the reader because it flows through the content of the paragraph and is contextually correct. Of course, the contextual correctness is not the important thing; it is the fact that the link appears inline within the content that is important. This could be the case with a comment on a blog post, or on a forum

So, to rank high on Bing, one needs to look for these so-called “inline” links. A side benefit will be that since Google simply loves links, the Google rank will also benefit.

Content, Content, Content

Content is and always will be king. In the eyes of the reader and for the search engine robots. Unique content (Google farmer update, anyone?) holds one of the main keys to high SEO rank. Google loves unique content and Bing loves it even more. It is possible to take a 1-page microsite with little content and get it to rank on page one on Google if there are enough backlinks and proper SEO is conducted. Bing prefers content rich websites and it typically does not like to rank sparsely contented websites or pages and tends to disregard the number of backlinks (unless they are inline links). And in order to get inline links, one needs content. Catch 22!

It is important to make sure that the content on a website is relevant and related. If a website ranks in top results served by Google, it is advisable to continue to add unique content pages and link to them from the home page so that the Bing bots can find this content.

We took the time to experiment with the above guidelines. The 3 things that worked well are (1) inline links (2) unique content and (3) exact match keyword domains. This is demonstrated by the rank of http://www.seo-company-florida.com for several search terms. As an added benefit, the above practices will also benefit Google rank. However, one needs to be sure to always follow proper and ethical SEO processes.

Arnima is a Florida SEO company that can help you rank high on Bing and also on Google and other search engines via our Search Engine Optimization Services.

SEO Case Study: Mortgage Contracting Services

SEO Case Study: Mortgage Contracting Services

Mortgage Contracting Services (MCS) – www.mcs360.com – is a national property preservation and maintenance company located in Tampa, Florida and Dallas, Texas.

MCS offers extensive mortgage field services including property inspections, property preservation, REO property maintenance, property valuation and many others.

Arnima has designed and developed 4 websites for MCS over the course of the last five years and has been providing search engine optimization services to MCS for the last 18 months. The MCS website ranks in top 5 search engine results for multiple keywords on major search engines.

SEO goals for MCS are to:
(1) establish and increase credibility for their organization
(2) to dominate their competition and
(3) to drive more traffic to their website so they can generate more traffic.

Search Engine Optimization services continue for MCS.

View their SEO report from March 2011.

Arnima, a Florida SEO and Florida Web Design company, can help you get your website in the top search engine results. Learn more on our website at www.arnima.com.

When a Website is Simply Not Enough!

When a Website is Simply Not Enough!

Unless your organization has significant brand recognition and awareness, just having a nice website is simply not enough. Remember, as of the writing of this article, there are close to 250 million websites on the Internet. Your website is simply one of them – a proverbial needle in the haystack!

It is challenging enough that the expectations of Internet users are constantly increasing and people want much more than they did previously. Technological advances have made the Internet an essential part of life for most people to the point where they rely on it for information, entertainment, research and a whole lot more! They expect fast load times, minimal distractions, user friendliness and attractive designs and more than anything else, they expect unique and meaningful content. And this challenge is augmented by the fact that search engines are continually improving and tweaking their search algorithms to make sure that relevance is maintained for every search conducted – so now you have to satisfy both your website visitors AND the search engines!

Consider the following questions:
1. How do you expect your potential website visitors to find you on the Internet?
2. Once your potential visitors find your website, what do you want them to do?
3. Do you have a plan to engage your visitors and lead them through a decision-making process?

When it comes to the Internet, there is no magical formula for success. In order to gain an edge, you must dot all your “i’s” and cross all your “t’s”.   With that in mind, at the very least, your website should:

-be well designed and architected with focus on ease of use
-have unique and relevant content that engages your website visitors and prospective customers
-be optimized to rank high on search engines using ethical SEO (search engine optimization)
-have properly laid out landing pages with clear call(s) to action that lead visitors to take action
-be constructed such that information is readily found without having to hunt around for it
-be optimized to load quickly without any broken links and missing elements
-make minimal use of distractive technologies and elements (excessive use of flash, for example)
-work properly on all major browsers and have no broken links and missing elements
-use effective technology that enhances the user experience without becoming cumbersome
-be easy to manage, update and keep current without having to rely on designers or developers for assistance

If your website is not generating the results that you expect it to, you need to take a hard look at its overall effectiveness and address the items listed above.

As an Internet marketing company, we can help you rank high on Bing and also on Google and other search engines via our Search Engine Optimization Services.