SEO Expert Guide - Conclusions (part 10/10)

As you have seen throughout the guide, search engine optimization (SEO) is a multi-faceted activity. Likely to be time-consuming, it is important that you spend your time wisely. By way of conclusion, therefore, I would like to (i) summarise the time/spend/effort (=cost) and value trade-off for each area I have covered, (ii) highlight from that you top five areas of focus and (iii) give you some migration tips for how to cut-over to your new, optimized site.

(a) The cost/value tradeoff

I have listed all the SEO and promotion techniques covered in the guide below, rated them for cost and value, then sorted them on a score (which is a product of their value and cost):

URL name Optimization - Low Cost - High Value (score 9)
File extension Optimization - Low Cost - High Value (score 9)
Title and Heading Optimization - Low Cost - High Value (score 9)

Domain name Optimization - Medium Cost - High Value (score 6)
Article Submission - Medium Cost - High Value (score 6)
Blogs and RSS - Medium Cost - High Value (score 6)

Navigation, Internal Links and Site Map Optimization - Medium Cost - Medium Value (score 4)
Page Structure Optimization - Medium Cost - Medium Value (score 4)
Page Image Optimization - Medium Cost - Medium Value (score 4)
Forum Participation - Medium Cost - Medium Value (score 4)
Newsletters and eZines - Medium Cost - Medium Value (score 4)

Page Text Optimization - High Cost - High Value (score 3)
Directory Submission - High Cost - High Value (score 3)
Outbound Links - Low Cost - Low Value (score 3)
Favourites, Feedback and Referral - Low Cost - Low Value (score 3)
Pay-per-click (PPC) Advertising - High Cost - High Value (score 3)
Paid Directory Submission - High Cost - High Value (score 3)

Metadata Optimization - Low Cost - Medium Value (score 2)
Search Engine Submission - High Cost - Medium Value (score 2)

Reciprocal Inbound Links - High Cost - Low Value (score 1)
Express Search Engine Submission - High Cost - Low Value (score 1)

(b) Your top 5 priorities

From the list above, you should discern that your priorities should be the site-wide techniques of Domain name Optimization, URL name Optimization, File extension Optimization, the page technique of Title and Heading Optimization and promotion techniques of Article Submission and Blogs and RSS. Ok, I know that's six, but who's counting? These methods produce the best return on investment overall.

(c) Some notes on Migration

So you have followed my advice and built a totally new site. However, your old site is not totally without merit, right? Some sites link to it and some customers have bookmarked it. You might even have a modest Pagerank on one or two pages. So how do you migrate to your new site without losing these hard-won benefits?

Meet 301 and 302 Redirects. When a browser/agent/spider requests a page or URL, the web server where the page is hosted checks a file called '.htaccess'. The '.htaccess' file can be modified to tell spiders that the page has either temporarily moved (302 redirect) or permanently moved (301 redirect).

It is usually possible to implement redirects without messing with the '.htaccess' file directly, using your web host's control panel instead. From a search engine perspective, 301 redirects are the only acceptable way to redirect URLs. Although Google can handle 302s, the other engines struggle with it.

In the case of moved pages, search engines will index only the new URL, but will transfer link popularity from the old URL to the new one so that search engine rankings are not affected.

So where you have pages with decent PageRank, use your control panel to place a 301 redirect to the equivalent new page. I would let this run for 6 months or so, then delete or archive the old pages altogether.

(d) Some final words

I hope you have found my SEO Expert Guide useful and enjoy some positive effects over time in your search engine results and web traffic. Be patient! Results can take a while to feed through (particularly as search engines take longer and longer these days between major updates). Do send any feedback you have to david@viney.com and check back every so often for updates. I plan to make available for download a copy of the guide in eBook format later in 2005 (at a nominal price).

Navigate the guide

Previous: SEO Expert Guide - Ongoing Monitoring of Results (part 9/10)

Back to index: SEO Expert Guide - Index of Contents

About the author:

David Viney (david@viney.com) is the author of the Intranet Portal Guide; 31 pages of advice, tools and downloads covering the period before, during and after an Intranet Portal implementation.

Read the guide at http://www.viney.com/DFV/intranet_portal_guide or the Intranet Watch Blog at http://www.viney.com/intranet_watch.

---

Linking for Traffic not Positioning!

With more and more experts and search engine enthusiastsclaiming the... Read More

10 Easy Steps to Boost Your Search Engine Rankings!

In order that someone finds your website and buys your... Read More

What Constitutes a Complete and Effective SEO Campaign?

Unfortunately, not many Search Engine Optimization companies know what this... Read More

Maximising Google?s PageRank of Your Website to Maximise Traffic

Google uses PageRank to rank your pages. To maximize your... Read More

Yahoo Listing Still Worth It?

In October 2002, the Yahoo! portal changed the way it... Read More

Stuck on Keywords

Keywords have turned into big business on the internet. If... Read More

Designing a Better System for Search Engines

Designing a Better System for Search Engines and Information Distribution,... Read More

The Life Blood of Internet-Based Home Businesses...Search Engines

Anyone involved in an Internet-based home business will soon come... Read More

Six Reasons Why Your Alexa Rating Is Still Important

1. Additional Exposure For Your Site.At the end of 2003,... Read More

PPC v Natural Search ? A Cost Comparison Case Study

The attraction of Pay Per Click (PPC) online advertising is... Read More

Link Building Services

In today scenario when we talk about Search Engine Optimization,... Read More

Google: The Ultimate Web Writer?s Style Guide

Indulge me for a moment.Forget that Google is a search... Read More

Soliciting Search Engines

As your guide operator through the web, search engines are... Read More

Search Engine Ranking - What Works Now

The methods employed to increase your search engine rankings may... Read More

Search Engines: Tips and Strategies on Getting Listed and Ranking High for Newbies

You've got a website. You've put countless hours into it,... Read More

The Latest Craze: Local Search, 7 Steps to Being #1 in Your Local Market

Anyone would agree that it is much easier to be... Read More

Googles PR System Explained

The complexities of Google's PR (Page Ranking) System have grown... Read More

Ten Steps To A Well Optimized Website - Step 5: Internal Linking

Welcome to part five in this search engine positioning series.... Read More

Goofy Mistakes that Hurt Your Search Engine Rankings

One thing is for sure, you don't want to spend... Read More

An Easy Way Not to Get Banned by Google

Strategic search engine optimization involves far more than keyword research,... Read More

Tips On Optomizing Your Website For Search Engines

I wish to give a few little tips, about optimizing.... Read More

Are Your Keywords Making Money for You?

I built my website, it's perfect. My chosen subject of... Read More

Five FAQ About Google PageRank

Five FAQ about Google PageRank1. What is PageRank and why... Read More

Google Patent Application - SEO Highlights

The recent patent application filed by Google details numerous items... Read More

Supply & Demand - Stop Attacking Good SEO Companies!

As I read the latest news online about what Google... Read More

The SEO Gurus poem

Am I alone as I survey that vast wilderness outside,Sat... Read More

Search Engine Tips & Techniques

As you are building your site or getting your site... Read More

Link Building - The Waiting Game

Link building is a waiting game. Many clients have asked... Read More

SEO Hints and Tips and Free SEO Tools

Do you realize that if you manage your website, SEO... Read More

The Wonders of Wordtracker: Its More than a Hunt for Keywords

For me personally, Wordtracker.com is not just a... Read More

How To Get Number 1 Spot In Google, Every Time, Guaranteed

Woaah! Wait a minute. Before I exclusively reveal these insider... Read More

How to Increase Alexa Ranking of Your Website

Alexa toolbar also useful to Browse expired websites database. Many... Read More

Why Search Engine Optimization is Not Enough

OK. So you've created a nice website with lots of... Read More