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Client Corner...
Client Corner:
Dyanmic Language Center
News: Dynamic Language Center of Seattle makes the INC 5000 List of Fastest Growing Companies in America.
Read all about it at:
A Quote from Rick Antezana, CEO, after the recent launch of his newly designed web site with SEO by SEO Panda:
"Just today, we've had inquiries from two *Brand New* law firms via Google searches, plus another lady that found us via Google! I'd say we're seeing some excellent early results already!"
SEO Panda employs a core group of database, pros, web experts, project managers and graphic artists with a wide range of technical experience with many different industries. This translates to better recommendations, services and results for your web site, SEO, and /or application project.
Contact Info:
SEO Panda
P.O. Box 13216
Mill Creek, WA 98082
425-609-3165
800-550-8007
425-645-8150 (fax)
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Lost and Found: Enhance 404 Pages |
You have been sent this email because of interest in SEO. If you do not wish to receive any future SEO Panda emails please click on the link "Manage My Subscription" below to unsubscribe.
Volume 10 September 2008 Edition: SEO Panda Newsletter
Have you ever gotten a response "Page Not Found" when you clicked on link? That's called a 404 Response code displayed as Page not Found in your browser. Last month Google added a new item to their webmaster tools called "Enhance 404 Pages". The purpose of this widget is to provide a more user friendly response when the URL cannot be found or retrieved by the web site's host server. Any web site at any time can return a 404 error depending on a number of circumstances some of which are beyond the control of the web site owner. A simple example is when a user copies only part of the URL or misspells it when entering it into their favorite browser.
Hence, it is recommended to use custom 404 pages so that you do not lose that potential visitor / customer. Google has provided a widget under its Webmaster Tools section of your Google Account that allows you to embed a widget or java script snippet in your custom 404 code that can add the following: (1) A link to the Parent Sub directory if available (2) A link to your site map if exists and (3) a search box that provides suggestion and allows the user to enter an search phrase to find the page based on original URL.
This page can be customized by changing the CSS block of your error page. This allows to you to change attributes such as the border, padding, font, and the presence (on or off) of the search box for your custom 404 page. In terms of SEO, custom 404 helps keep your visitor on the happy path to their conversion destination. Note that customized 404 pages should be larger than 512 bytes in size because some browsers see it as a standard Web server 404 message and replace it with their own message if it is smaller than 512 bytes.
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A Tale of the Long Tail |
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A concept that is sometimes hard to explain to the non-SEO person is the definition and use of "long tail" key words. The most common request we have in terms of SEO is "how can we get to the top positions for..." one or two keywords, such as pizza, cars, comic books, massage therapy. Makes sense, if I focus all of my time and effort on the words that return the most searches the more likely I will get traffic and hence conversions from my site, RIGHT. WRONG
One reason was recently upheld in a PPC research study that found it "is not profitable to have the first position for one to two words keywords. The most profitable positions in the paid results for short keywords were the fifth and the sixth position. http://www.adgooroo.com/how_keyword_length_and_ad_posi.php Long tails are nothing more than doing your keyword research and finding the optimum number and combination of search words for your target audience and then using those to optimize the pages of your web site. Easier said than done.
Since the competition for one or two-word keywords is higher than than their longer tail relatives you have much less chance of getting ranked and viewed by the eyeballs you want to target. Not only is it easier to get rankings for longer tail keywords but it turns out they they are also more profitable. The trick is to do accurate and on-going keyword research combined with feedback from your conversion statistics to find the perfect search words for your specific requirements.
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Microsoft uses Club to Battle Back |
According to recent statistics from www.compete.com: "MSN/Live market share in May 08 was just slightly above year ago levels when you ignore Club Live. If you fold in Club Live there's actually been fairly substantial growth in MSN/Live's piece of the pie."
I know what your thinking what is "Club Live". In the words of Microsoft: "Live Search Club offers members a fun way to experience Live Search's rich, useful search results, while also rewarding members with games, prizes, and donations to charities. It's free, it's fun, and it's our unique way of introducing more people to the advantages of searching with Live Search." Sounds to us like a member's reward program or a "frequent searcher" bonus giveaway program. The more you search the more you earn or something like that. Check it out and decide for yourself if this is the future of commercial search engines. http://club.live.com
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Tip of the Month: Canonicalization
A long word for a simple concept in SEO. To cononify, means to ensure that data conforms to a given set of defined rules, such as only in an approved format e.g.: mm/dd/yyyy as is in the case of date format. In the SEO world this term has come to define the issue of having more than one way of expressing a URL, such as with or without the www before the domain name.
From a search engine point of view, different URLs are just that different. Consequently they will be indexed separately instead of as one URL. This can result in diluted ranking and splintered indexing of that URL. To solve the problem, add or create the following code to your .htaccess file, replace the domain with your domain name.
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