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So Much Spam & So Litle Time

Well as per usual this will be the first post I've made for a while which is due to a heavy work load and the huge spam problem I've at present (I'm that close to jacking this blog in and starting a new one).

Anyone reading this blog (not automated programs that is) will be able to see the huge amount of spam comments being added to the blog. These spam comments are just people exploiting the ability to leave comments with a nice little anchor rich text link. I can see why it's tempting to do so and wouldn't mind so much apart from the manner in which there being posted.

I followed one of these links the other day, only to find a redirect to a page selling an automated blog comment and pinging tool. I didn't read that much into it (far too busy at present) but read enough to get the picture.

The tool allows you to search for specific keyword focused blogs and place a pre configured comment with your text link, creating thousands of backlinks that influence PR and link popularity. It then pings the blog hoping to allert crawlers to the new comment spam. Well we all know links are a must for competing in competative markets but surely you need to either be desperate or simply not care about pissing blog owners off to fall to these drastic measures.

I know there is probably a way of preventing this from happening but have not had the time to conduct any research. So any automated programs reading this, please feel free to a leave comment on how I can prevent you from returning ;) or anyone reading this who knows any methods please let us know.

All work & no play

As mentioned before my recent work load has been incredibly high, this has been a combination of pre-xmas search engine positioning for a higher number of clients than usual but mainly the last few componants required to have our brand spanking new eCommerce Solution up and running with it's own dedicated website to advertise the truly amazing / revolutionary features it contains.

I've been mainly focusing on the SEO side of things. The first thing was to completly anoy the hell out of the developers by telling them "no, your just going to have to do it this way" in order for the front end to be complety search engine friendly. Which doesn't sound like much work, but when you think every little change has to be left for a few days, waiting for each of the main search engines to pick up the changes before you're able to view and conclude the results, a frantic work pace was required from all the team if we were going to meat the launch date set by the management.

How many test shops?

In order to even come close to the launch date, we had to set up a total of seven test shops. Each shop containing a few dozen or so products, just enough to create a site requiring deep crawling for all pages to be indexed. This allowed us to test seven different additions to the SEO at the same time. Then it was just a simple case of studying the impact of each development and choosing which was the best to include in the end product.

My favourite development has got to be the SOE componant "self optimising eCommerce", which basicly automates a large quantity of elements that effect SEO. When the shop owner adds each product via the CMS, it will take things like the name of the product and use it for the title and alt tags on corresponding images. This allows people who no knowledge of SEO to optimised pages but also allows who want full control over the SEO elements to adjust them as well.

At the moment the dedicated site is not up and running but we do have the demo shop online which shows off the eCommerce Solution quite well.





Onpage Optimization: Essential for Effective Offpage Optimization


Onpage optimization is the process by which various elements on an individual web page are structured so that the web page can be found by the search engines for specific keyword(s) or keyword phrases.

Onpage optimization will not guarantee any top rating within a search engine, only offpage optimization can offer that guarantee. However, offpage optimization is far more effective WHEN onpage optimization is in place.

Onpage optimization is not difficult. It does however take time to make sure all the pieces are in place. Onpage optimization should occur not only on the main web page of a web site, but on every single content page within that site.

The very first question to ask when seeking to optimize a web page is: What keyword(s)/keyword phrases is this page targeting? This article will not explore how to find keywords, it assumes you already have keywords chosen.

For this article, the following phrases will be used as an example: designer argyle socks, plaid socks, paisley socks. Of the three phrases, "designer argyle socks" will be the primary phrase used for optimization.

Below is a list of onpage elements in which the keywords need to be placed:

** Keywords in the TITLE tag(s)

Every page should have TITLE tags. TITLE tags appear on the status bar above the menu bar in a web browser. The TITLE tags for the main page of your web site should look like the following:

TITLE Supersocks.com - Designer Argyle Socks | Plaid Socks | Paisley Socks /TITLE

Generally the formula should be: website name - keyword|keyword|keyword. Avoid using articles and conjunctions like a, the, and. Use the pipe(|) or dash (-) to separate keywords.

Do not "stuff" your title by repeating your keyword phrases over and over. Search engines will ban sites for such practices.

** Keywords in H1 or other headline tags

Somewhere near the top of the page place your primary keyword phrase within h1 tags.

H1Designer Argyle Socks/H1

The combination of the TITLE tag and H1 tag effectively act as titling tags for your page. The search engine spider will begin to see pretty quickly what your page is about if these two tags are in place.

** Keywords in the body copy

Use your keyword phrases throughout the copy of the body of the web page. Use them in natural ways. Do not overuse your keyword phrase. Avoid using hidden text. Try your best to include your primary keyword phrase at/near the beginning of your copy and at/near the end of your copy. Once, and only once, make sure your primary keyword phrase is bolded.

** Keywords in ALT tags

Many suggest that the alt tags on your images should contain your keywords. Be careful. Some search engines see that as spamming. If you do it, don't over do it.

** Keywords contained in the URL or site address, e.g., http://www.keyword.com/keyword.htm

If the primary phrase of our web page is "Designer Argyle Socks", then the name of the actual HTML file would be designerargylesocks.html, designer_argyle_socks.html or designer-argyle-socks.html

** Keywords in the META NAME="DESCRIPTION"

Meta tags are getting used less and less by the search engines. However, it is still good practice to use the Description and Keyword meta tags if only for your own reference.

meta name="description"Supersocks.com is pleased to offer designer argyle socks at low discount prices. In addition see our selection of plaid socks and paisley socks. /meta

** Keywords in the META NAME="KEYWORD"

Search engines like Google no longer look at the Keywords meta tag. However, still include your keywords here. They can serve as a point of reference for you in the future.

meta name="keyword" keyword, keyword, keyword /meta

Do not "stuff" this meta tag by repeating your keyword phrases over and over. Search engines will ban sites for such practices.

Paul Stefanski develops Recommended Web Tools, an online resource for web design beginners. Visit his website to find out more about onpage optimization.

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