SPECIAL NOTICE
Malicious code was found on the site, which has been removed, but would have been able to access files and the database, revealing email addresses, posts, and encoded passwords (which would need to be decoded). However, there is no direct evidence that any such activity occurred. REGARDLESS, BE SURE TO CHANGE YOUR PASSWORDS. And as is good practice, remember to never use the same password on more than one site. While performing housekeeping, we also decided to upgrade the forums.
This is a site for discussing roleplaying games. Have fun doing so, but there is one major rule: do not discuss political issues that aren't directly and uniquely related to the subject of the thread and about gaming. While this site is dedicated to free speech, the following will not be tolerated: devolving a thread into unrelated political discussion, sockpuppeting (using multiple and/or bogus accounts), disrupting topics without contributing to them, and posting images that could get someone fired in the workplace (an external link is OK, but clearly mark it as Not Safe For Work, or NSFW). If you receive a warning, please take it seriously and either move on to another topic or steer the discussion back to its original RPG-related theme.

Need SEO advice

Started by Mistwell, February 28, 2006, 11:49:09 PM

Previous topic - Next topic
Print
Go Down Pages1
User actions

Mistwell

February 28, 2006, 11:49:09 PM
So I am affiliated in some fashion with two web sites:

//www.academicapparel.com
//www.buyclassrings.com

And I could use some Search Engine Optimization advice on those two sites.  In particular, the second one seems to just go nowhere on the Google ranks.  The first one does okay.

Anyone have some good advice?

Guest (Deleted)

#1
March 01, 2006, 07:35:40 AM
My first bit of advice would be to put this where all the geeks can see it in technology. Weee - my first thread move ever!!

kryyst

#2
March 01, 2006, 08:28:21 AM
I'm not sure what you are asking?  If you are affiliated with those sites and no longer want them to keep coming up.  Well add/spy ware remove them.  Then install toolbar.google.com which will set your default search engine to google.  Better yet stop working withing the crippling confines of IE and switch to Firefox.
AccidentalSurvivors.com : The blood will put out the fire.

Mistwell

#3
March 01, 2006, 01:12:56 PM
Quote from: kryystI'm not sure what you are asking?  If you are affiliated with those sites and no longer want them to keep coming up.  Well add/spy ware remove them.  Then install toolbar.google.com which will set your default search engine to google.  Better yet stop working withing the crippling confines of IE and switch to Firefox.

Woah...it's the opposite that I am looking for.  I am affiliated as in I program those websites and author the text for them, and I *WANT* them to come up more often in search engines.

SEO (search engine optimization) is the art/craft of authoring and programming your web site to come up more often, and in a higher rank, in various search engines.  So, for example, it includes using your keywords in the text of the page (but not spamming them - using them as they were intended), and writing proper description tags in the html, and not having text displayed as a graphic that a search engine cannot read, and other such things that let the search engines find your website and rank it high.

For more explanation, see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engine_optimization

Maximum Fu

#4
March 01, 2006, 01:22:52 PM
Quote from: MistwellWoah...it's the opposite that I am looking for.  I am affiliated as in I program those websites and author the text for them, and I *WANT* them to come up more often in search engines.

SEO (search engine optimization) is the art/craft of authoring and programming your web site to come up more often, and in a higher rank, in various search engines.  So, for example, it includes using your keywords in the text of the page (but not spamming them - using them as they were intended), and writing proper description tags in the html, and not having text displayed as a graphic that a search engine cannot read, and other such things that let the search engines find your website and rank it high.

For more explanation, see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engine_optimization

My understanding, at least for Google, is that the most important factor is the strength of the sites linking to you.  A link off of a popular site does more than adding the right keywords ever will.
Their prison is only in their own minds, yet they are in that prison; and so afraid of being taken in that they cannot be taken out.

-The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis

Mistwell

#5
March 01, 2006, 05:07:27 PM
Quote from: Maximum FuMy understanding, at least for Google, is that the most important factor is the strength of the sites linking to you.  A link off of a popular site does more than adding the right keywords ever will.

Indeed.  However, I have very little control over that.  I'm trying to change the things I can control (in an ethical way).  

I could pay for links on popular irrelevant sites, but I find that distasteful.

cklarock

#6
March 03, 2006, 01:54:15 AM
This page will help, and so will this one.

Long answer:

Content, content, content.  Don't try to game the system, and write pages that are very clearly about what your site is about.

Try to understand how a search engine parses your site-- it is crawling along and reading text trying to figure out how all the elements relate; it's looking at everythign in your code trying to figure out what is content and what is presentation, what is actual content and what is bullshit.  It has to use your code to determine whether you are a site that sells gowns for church or gowns for weddings.

Using tableless design and structured markup will help robots and spiders read your site.  That means put paragraphs in

tags, headers in

tags.  If your site (for example) shows emphasis on a tag because it sets the font at 42px and the color as red, all that emphasis is lost on a spider.  Put that content inside an

tag instead.  And definately don't use graphics for text-- a .gif file that says "MY SITE KICKS ASS" at 600 x 400px is just another un-followed IMG link to a web crawler.

Read about accessability standards, and meet them where you can-- blind people and search bots parse your site the same way.

At the bare minimum, include ALT tags for all images, and if I were you, I would include text-based descriptions along with the photos of my product, for the search engines' benefit.

You defninately want to put your list of keywords together that you think your customers are searching for and then go search on them yourself.  Note the top ten sites, view source, and take them apart in order to find out how they did it.

Remember that the goal of any search algorythym is to find the sites that are the most *about* the search term.  Your goal is to make your site the most actually about whatever it is your site is about-- going forward the algorythyms will only get better.  Having quality content "futureproofs" your search rankings.

And then, after you've done everything you think you can, resubmit, wait a week or so, check your ranking and start all over.

Short answer:

Buy the top rank, because SEO is a pain in the ass.  :)

Print
Go Up Pages1
User actions