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Is Your stuff being Nicked? A Very Quick Note About Plagiarism. I was going to write about the basics of article writing. You know by now that its important to have regular fresh and original content on your website. It benefits your Google Rankings, attracts inbound links, boosts customer loyalty and generally adds credibility to your site. But I stopped because I realised that a lot of people don’t even know that their stuff may well be nicked from their website. But worse than that, if someone else takes your content and copies it blatantly on their website, then it can actually harm your Google rankings because you may be penalised by Google for “duplicate content”. The upshot? It’s important to check if your content is getting ripped off. Conversely, it goes without saying that you should never copy content without getting permission and crediting the author. Getting sued for breach of copyright is becoming increasingly commonplace and very likely a simple “cease and desist” order won’t be enough anymore to placate the aggrieved party. How to Check? Of course, a quicky and dirty way of doing it is to highlight/select some random text on your site (which you believe is unique to you) and then paste it into Google’s search bar. Put a “double quote” on either side of the text to force the search to yield only ‘exact’ matches and if any are returned, they should only come from your website… This can get a bit repetitive and of course you have to remember to do it regularly. The scary thing is when you have other people writing content for you. Staff, outsourced content writers or even your web designer. It’s important to make sure that you’re not copying anyone and that no-one is copying you. I wrote my own php script to automate this (with a cron job) but if you’re not comfortable doing that then something like Copyscape would probably be a good investment (http://www.copyscape.com/ )to free up your time and put your mind at rest. More in depth stuff about article writing soon… If you would like some training with your internet marketing, please visit http://www.mklink.com/getstarted today. ’till next time, Mike Knight. MKLINK Internet Marketing Tips |
December 16, 2009
Is Your Site Being Ripped Off?
December 10, 2009
All About Article Writing
1. Keywords and Keyword Research
Keywords
- Keywords / key phrases in this case refers to those particular words and phrases that people would like their web pages, blogs etc to rank highly in, and be found for via the search engines.
Importance of keywords / key phrases to SEO
- Most web page visitors reach web pages using search engines e.g. Google.
- Including certain keywords / key phrases in web pages / blogs etc help them to be found by search engine users when they use those particular keywords / key phrases in a web search.
- Where and how keywords and key phrases are used within pages, and within the web itself affects the search engine result rankings / positions (SERPS).
- Higher positions in search engine rankings can mean more enquiries, and more business.
- Higher positions in the ‘natural’ as opposed to the ‘paid for’ (PPC) search engine results are generally preferable e.g. cost savings, greater visibility, more visitors.
Why Keyword Research?
- To establish which particular keywords and key phrases are likely to bring the largest numbers of most relevant visitors.
- To discover which keywords and key phrases have the most or least competition.
- To discover new niches and potential business opportunities.
2. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Links
Search Engine Optimisation
- Search Engine Optimisation / SEO is the process of bringing more traffic / better quality traffic, or both to a web page via the search engines.
- SEO activities typically involve the tactical and strategic use of keywords, key phrases, and links.
- Successful SEO often depends on how well a web page conforms to the guidelines of, and performs within the search engines, Google being the most important.
- Why? - Google refers the vast majority of visitors to the vast majority of web pages.
- Successful SEO can improve the position of web pages in the search engine rankings (natural listings).
Links
- Links refers to the ‘hyperlinks’ that make up part of the structure of the web, and allow navigation between e.g. web pages and web objects.
- A link can be inserted into e.g. text, objects (pictures / graphic elements).
- There are 2 types of link – outgoing links, and incoming links.
- An outgoing links typically refers to a link OUT FROM a web page TO a web page in another web site (at another domain).
- Incoming links are also referred to as inlinks and backlinks. Incoming links typically refers to links INTO a web page FROM in another web page (at other another domain). N.B. Links between pages in the same website / at the same domain (sometimes called the ‘link architecture’) are often shown as incoming links when checked using a search engine’s link checking facility e.g. Yahoo.
Incoming Links and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
- Google takes approximately 200 factors into consideration when ‘deciding’ how to categorise, index, and ultimately rank a web page in response to a search engine query, although some factors have a greater influence on the likely position in the search engine rankings than others.
- Broadly speaking, pages that are relevant, important (to and for certain key phrases), and trustworthy / reliable are more likely to achieve high search engine rankings.
- There is a strong correlation between the relevance of a web page to certain keywords and key phrases, and the inclusion of those (and related) keywords and key phrases mainly in the text elements of that web page.
- It is possible for several web pages to achieve a similar level of ‘relevance’ to the same / similar key phrases, but the search engines still need to have a method one page above another in the search engine results in response to a search engine user who has searched using those key phrases.
- In addition to relevance to a query (and adherence to guidelines), and trustworthiness of a web page (how unlikely it is to have the characteristics of a ‘Spam’ page), Google for example uses IMPORTANCE as well as ‘relevance’ to help decide which pages should rank higher in the natural search engine listings / results.
- The underlying assumption with incoming links = if web pages have been linked to from other web pages, they must have something of interest / must be important, and could therefore provide search engine users with a good and rewarding experience if directed to those web pages. Continued and consistent ‘good experiences’ for users of a specific search engine e.g. Google, will retain them as users / customers (primarily) of that search engine.
- The greater the number of HIGH QUALITY incoming links that a web page has, the more IMPORTANT it is (e.g. to Google). The more IMPORTANT it is, the more likely it is to achieve higher positions in the search engine results for relevant keywords and key phrases.
- The quality of incoming links are more important than the quantity.
- The Google PageRank™ is a numerical value – a number from 0 to 10 – that is applied (algorithmically) to a web page. PageRank™ is essentially a ‘vote’ or ‘poll’ of how popular (IMPORTANT) a web page is.
- There is a strong correlation between higher PageRank™, and greater IMPORTANCE of a web page.
- PageRank™ is therefore an indicator of the level of QUALITY that one, some or all of the incoming links to a web page has/have.
- A link’s ‘QUALITY’ depends on how many of these 4 main characteristics it has:
1. The link comes from a page that has relevant / related text on it in terms of subject matter and keywords / key phrases.
2. The actual (incoming) text hyperlink is made up of keyword / key phrase that has a high degree of relevance to the main subject of the page it is linking to.
3. The page that is providing the incoming link has a reasonable / high Google PageRank™ itself.
4. The web page providing the incoming link doesn’t have a ‘large’ number of other outgoing links from it – especially ones that lack relevance.
3. Article Writing
How can article writing contribute to better Search Engine Optimisation, and higher search engine result positions for web pages?
- By providing a source of high quality incoming links to web pages.
How does this actually work?
- There are many (Free) Article websites / article directories that collect articles on a wide range of subjects to syndicate them / for them to be used as content for other websites.
- By registering with these websites, you are able to submit original articles to them that you have written.
- If the article meets the article website / directory’s criteria, it will be published on that website.
- Each published article provides an opportunity within, or below an article to insert links to your chosen website using your chosen text. These could count as incoming links for the web pages you choose to link to.
- Often, these submitted articles conform to the 4 main criteria mentioned above. This means that your articles can therefore provide HIGH QUALITY incoming links to web pages.
- In general, more high quality incoming links for a web page (from article directories) = greater importance for pages = higher Google PageRank™ = higher search engine rankings = greater numbers of (relevant) visitors = higher conversion rates = more business.
How to write articles
Tips for Keyword Research and Selection
- Since the quality of an incoming link and the link context are of uppermost importance, selecting the right key phrases to use in the page content and the text hyperlink itself is essential. The key phrases used should be highly relevant, and should be checked for likely visitor numbers and competition.
- Use keyword selector tools, and / or the key phrases suggested by the end client.
- Once selected, the key phrases should be included in the article text, and preferably used as link text within / below the article, depending on the guidelines of the article website / article directory.
Tips for Conducting Research for Articles
- Use popular search engines e.g. Google.
- Use (and collect URLs for) websites to be used as general reference for ‘factual’ information on a variety of subjects e.g. Wikipedia.
Tips for Writing the Articles
- Look at other popular articles featured on article websites.
- Aim to produce 300 to 400 words.
- It is often easier to read from a printed page than from a screen. Consider printing out your research material, and use a highlighter pen or a similar method to underline the main points.
- Plan to split the article into related paragraphs, perhaps based around the separate points.
Inserting links (hyperlinks) into the article.
Using blogs and article websites.
20 tips working from home using the Internet
Website template.
December 4, 2009
The Risks of Moving Web Pages
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Moving Web Pages - The Risks Precautions to take when moving and changing web pages – 301 Redirects. Most webmasters / website owners put a lot of time, effort, money and worry into making sure their web pages feature as highly as possible in the search engine results for their main keywords and key phrases in the natural listings of Google i.e. the not paid-for results on the left hand side. This is understandable since Google is going to deliver the vast majority of all your search engine referrals, and not having to pay for clicks and not having the worry of no clicks at all when you stop paying is surely the best situation. If and when you do manage to get a good position in the search engine results, and assuming the conversion rate is good, the thought of moving pages, changing page names, and therefore ‘fixing what isn’t necessarily broke’ can bring a good deal of anxiety. There are risks involved with moving and changing pages i.e. combining pages into one, changing page names, removing some pages altogether and moving a whole website to different domains. The risks exist because of the interconnected nature of the web, and the way the search engines compile and store information about web pages. Potential risks include: • Losing the value of the incoming links to pages that have been moved / removed / had the URL changed i.e. losing the positive effects of Google PageRank™. Minimising the Risks What steps should you take when making changes to the structures (rather than the content) of your web pages website? i.e. changing page names / directory structures, combining pages and removing pages… Save a copy, make a map, record your vital stats Before making any major changes to web pages it’s always worth downloading and saving a backup copy of the web site. Also, you need to get a good idea of the structure of the website, and find out exactly what the size and scope of the job is. Using a site mapping / link checking software can help you achieve this quickly and accurately e.g. Xenu’s Link Sleuth, Electrum’s PowerMapper. If you’re worried about losing valuable incoming links and search engine positions for specific key phrases, you won’t know how big the effects on these will be unless you have a record of you site’s stats at the moment. Your website’s stats package should keep track of things anyway, but at the very least check your rankings (e.g. using IBP’s Ranking Report), check your Google PageRank™, and check your incoming links e.g. use the link: command in the search field at the top of the Yahoo home page followed by your full (http://www…) URL. Have a Clear Plan Study the information shown above, study your web pages, and have a good idea of exactly how you want to change things. Expect a possible 1 to 3 months of lower rankings while the search engines re-crawl the incoming links. Use 301 Re-Directs The web works using certain protocols that are understood by software like search engines and browsers. HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) uses a series of response status codes which mean that more action of some sort is required (by a user agent) to complete a specific request. These status codes are shown as numbers, each of which represents a specific type of problem / specific action required – there are 5 classes of responses that a HTTP client should recognise. For example, you may have clicked on a link i.e. looked for page, and found a ‘404’ error page – file not found. This code means that a client could find the server, but couldn’t find the file you were looking for on it. A 301 Redirect means that a file e.g. a web page has ‘Moved Permanently’ (the URL or page name has been changed or the page has been removed). The “3″ component of the number makes the browser go to another location (identified by you). There are different ways to implement a redirect e.g. server side scripting, using mod_rewrite (e.g. with Apache), JavaScript or Meta Tag redirects. JavaScript and Meta Tag Redirects This refers to either using JavaScript in a page, or placing code in the Meta tags of a web page to redirect to another page. These methods are the least search engine friendly, i.e. the least friendly to page visitors (because they waste time), and are unlikely to allow you to retain your valuable PageRank™. Using this method means that the headers and the pages have to load before the re-direct takes place (using just a HTTP header method means that the re-direct happens straight after the HTTP headers load). Wherever there’s a loading, then a refresh / redirect, there will at least be a flickering of the browser while the redirect takes place – this doesn’t look good. Also, some browsers may have Javascript or META Refresh disabled, which is another reason not to use them. It is still commonplace to see JavaScript / META Refresh on websites e.g. where a message appears on page saying that the page has moved and you’ll be transferred there within a certain time – or click a certain link if this doesn’t happen automatically. The Meta Refresh code actually goes in the head of a web page could look like this e.g. <HEAD> N.B. In this particular example the search engine robots have been told not to read the page (to avoid the search engine ‘slap’). JavaScript and Meta Tag Redirects have a history of being used by spammers, and therefore the search engines are very wary of them. Pages can easily optimised for certain key phrases and therefore attract visitors to click on them, only to be redirected to a page they didn’t want to visit. For these and more reasons, it’s worth avoiding these methods of re-directing if at all possible. Server Side Scripting Whenever a search engine spider or web page visitor requests a page, the web server checks the .htaccess file for any particular instructions e.g. how to deal with errors, security issues etc. Search engine spiders follow the instructions that they find in this file, and will recognise as valid a response from the server in this way. Therfore the .htaccess file is a much safer and much more preferable place to put a 301 redirect i.e. a response that lets the search engine know that the page has moved permanently, and gives instructions of where the search engine can find the new / intended page. So how is this actually achieved? .htaccess file redirect – example for ‘static’ pages (e.g. html) For example, download the .htaccess file (that’s generally stored in the root directory of your web pages), scroll down past the existing code (leaving a line space) then write a line of code like the following: Redirect 301 /old/directory/youroldpage.htm http://www.yoursite/thenewpage.htm The first half of the code gives the old page location (and doesn’t need the http://www part) and the second half gives the new page location. N.B. If there is no .htaccess file you will need to create one using soemthing like notepad. By saving this, uploading it to the web, and typing the old URL into the browser you’ll be able to see if it’s worked. Redirect example for ‘dynamic’ pages A dynamic page could be database generated e.g. a forum, ecommerce-shop etc. This will have a query string on the end of it e.g. http://www.yourdynamicsite/page?id=15 The following code could provide a 301 redirect in the case of these dynamic pages: RewriteEngine on Using mod_rewrite Apache web servers have a mod_rewrite engine (which should first be made active on the web server) that allows all manner of URL manipulation e.g. for the server (httpd.conf) and in directories (using a .htaccess file). This is powerful and flexible way for administrators to e.g. to provide 301 re-directs. The Reality Although the server side .htaccess file method is the safest and generally best way to use 301 redirects and ensure that your website doesn’t lose precious ranking, momentum and PageRank™, it’s only natural to expect some temporary disruption bearing in mind the complicated and interconnected nature of the web. As mentioned earlier in this article, it may even take a couple of months in many cases for the search engine robots to get a full picture of the site and its incoming links after the introduction of the 301 redirects. This is infinitely better however than losing all PageRank™ and getting on the wrong side of the search engines which could result from other methods. Want more Tips? Visit http://www.mklink.com/getstarted/ ’till Next Time, Comment: Hi Mike It didn’t work but I discovered why. You said add this ‘Redirect 301 Hope this is helpful Sally |