SEO Process

Search Engine Optimization Process:

0- SEO Site Audit
» Site Audit
» Dead Links
» Usability
» Branding

1- Keywords Research
» Keyword Search Volume
» Short Tail vs. Long Tail
» Site Logs
» Competitor Analysis
» Keyword Buzz
» Keyword Trend

2- Keyword/Page Mapping
» Primary and Secondary Keywords
» Keyword Placement

3- On-Page Optimization
» Page Title tag
» Meta Description
» other Meta Tags: robots
» Heading Tags: H1 – H6
» Content Optimization
» Internal Cross Linking
» HTML Site Maps

4- Code Analysis and Optimization
» CSS
» JavaScript
» Tracking Code
» Image Maps
» Flash

5- Off-Page Optimization
» Link Building: Press Releases, Directory Submission, RSS Feeds, Blogs, Social Networks
» Spider Site Maps
» Site Age
» Page first indexed

6- Setup Tracking
» Analytics Package
» Ranking Tracking
» Identify your Conversion Points
» Conversion Tracking

SEO Site Audit

In every SEO conference I attend there must be multiple site clinic sessions. Webmasters and business owners ask questions to a bunch of SEO gurus. What I noticed is that there is no process or structured methodology to Audit a site. Also i noticed that most of webmasters/business owners are not very familiar with SEO or Coding. That’s why I created this comprehensive list of SEO check points for any site webmaster or business owner to SEO-Audit their site in an easy way:

for more details check 45+ Check Points for a Comprehensive SEO Site Audit

Code:

#DetectionToolImportance
1DTD (Document Type Definition):Web Developer Toolbar*
2Obsolete or Deprecated HTML:Web Developer Toolbar*
3Frames/IFrames Check:Web Developer Toolbar* * *
4Forms:Manual* * * * *
5H1 Heading TagsWeb Developer Toolbar* *
6Heading Tags StructureWeb Developer Toolbar* *
7Image MapsManual.* * *
8External CSS FileWeb Developer Toolbar
Or Manual
* * * *
9JavaScriptWeb Developer Toolbar* * * *
10JavaScript LinksManual* * * *
11DHTML MenusManual* * * *

Meta Data

#DetectionToolImportance
12Page TitleGoogle Webmaster Tools* * * * *
13Meta DescriptionGoogle Webmaster Tools* * *
14Meta KeywordsGoogle Webmaster Tools* * *
15Robots Meta TagsGoogle Webmaster Tools
Robots.txt Syntax Checker
* * *

Content

#DetectionToolImportance
16LengthManual* * * * *
17Onsite Duplicate ContentGoogle Webmaster Tools* * *
18Flash ObjectsManual* * *

URLs

#DetectionToolImportance
19Dynamic URLsManual* * * *
20Redirect AttacksManual* * *
21Sort-By LinksManual* * * *
22Session IDsManual* * * *

Navigation & Site Architecture

#DetectionToolImportance
23Home Page Link & LogoManual* * * * *
24Sub-DirectoriesManual* * * *
25Top Navigation LinksManual* * * *
26Navigation ConsistencyManual* * * *

Duplicate Content & Canonicalization

#DetectionToolImportance
27Canonicalization: domain.com vs. www.domain.comManual* * *
28Canonicalization: Home Page/ Section PagesManual* * * *
29HTTPS Link SplitManual* * * *

Other

#DetectionToolImportance
30Home Page: PageRank 0 or Not AvailableManual* * * * *
31Robots.txt FileManual* * * * *
32VisibilityManual* * * * *
33XML Spider SitemapManual* * * *
34HTML Site MapManual* * * *
35Custom 404 PageManual* * *
36Popup WindowsManual* *
37Page SizeManual* * *
38Check Server Header (server response)Tool* * *
39AccessibilityManual* * *
40Number of Links on a PageManual* * *
41Broken LinksW3C Link Checker
OR Xenu Link Sleuth
* * *
42Code to Text RatioSEO Chat* * *
43Other File TypesManual* * *

Avoid

#DetectionToolImportance
44Meta RefreshManual* * * * *
45Hidden TextManual* * * * *
46Hidden LinksManual* * * * *
47SpammingManual* * * * *
48Over OptimizationManual* * * * *

I hope this list is helpful; I will keep updating this list and adding more check points.

Google News indexes bad headlines from Huffington Post

I am not sure if it is a newsroom work-flow issue or just a glitch on Google News but recently I started noticing more stories from Huffington Post with bad headlines like “Submit This Story” in Google News. Currently there is 331 stories with this headline in Google News in the last 30 days …

While huffPost is doing a great job optimizing their stories and headlines for Social Media and SEO, some SEOs have used A/B testing to optimize their headlines for better click throughs.

Google, Yahoo & Bing Top Searches for 2009

Google News
http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/zeitgeist2009/news.html
As you see from the list, users still search using 1 of 5 patterns:
Full Names (Michael Jackson, Bernie Madoff, Rush Limbaugh, Sonia Sotomayor, …)
Locations (Iceland, California, …)
Hot Subjects (cash for clunkers, unemployment rate, universal health care, …)
Organizations (heritage foundation, …)
Events (NASCAR, …)

Google Web
http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/zeitgeist2009/
1. twitter
2. michael jackson
3. facebook
4. hulu
5. hi5
6. glee
7. paranormal activity
8. natasha richardson
9. farrah fawcett
10. lady gaga

Check your city: http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/zeitgeist2009/cities.html

Bing
http://www.bing.com/community/blogs/search/archive/2009/11/30/top-bing-searches-in-2009.aspx
1. Michael Jackson
2. Twitter
3. Swine Flu
4. Stock Market
5. Farrah Fawcett
6. Patrick Swayze
7. Cash for Clunkers
8. Jon and Kate Gosselin
9. Billy Mays
10. Jaycee Dugard

Yahoo
http://yearinreview.yahoo.com/2009/top10
1. Michael Jackson
2. Twilight
3. WWE
4. Megan Fox
5. Britney Spears
6. Naruto
7. American Idol
8. Kim Kardashian
9. NASCAR
10. Runescape

Google, The Confession Booth: Top 20 Online Confessions

I don’t know much about psychology but I believe confessions make us feel some how better. It came to me that confessions don’t only take place at church but online as well. There are religious confession sites and there are other confession sites that are just naughty. But Google by far is the largest confession booth.

We are what we search for


I enjoy researching online search trends, I recently wrote about the top questions Americans ask online. I started researching how we confess online, I did multiple types of searches “I am …”, “I’m …”, “I am not …”, etc. I also figured out another type of confession; I found that many users are searching for “am I …”. While “i am …” searchers are seeking help, “am I …” searchers are seeking confirmation.

I am Sad
“i am sad” is the most popular confession/search online based on Google Keyword Tool for the last 12 month while ‘I am alone’ is the most popular search over the last 5 years based on Google Insights not only in US but worldwide.

The list includes many other types of confessions, but the saddest one is ‘I am dying‘. Users with terminal illness are searching for hope, help or companionship.

I am poor‘ also made it to the top 11 most popular confessional searches, but the good news is the search volume has been near constant for the last 4 years.

Many users are searching by ‘am I …?”, which is in a way confessional question. The most popular ones are ‘am I fat’, ‘Am I hot’, ‘am I psychic’. Also many other users search for ‘am I bipolar’, ‘am I anorexic’. Some even search for ‘am I God’, good luck figuring this one out.

Not-So-Fun Facts
Based on Google Insights, Pennsylvania is the loneliest state while New York is the saddest state in the US. The most depressed state is Ohio then Pennsylvania. It seems Pennsylvania is not only Sad but also deeply Depressed.

Depression is on the rise, it seems that depression started increasing greatly in the first quarter of 2007. ‘ I am sad’ is increasing worldwide not only in US.

If you have a dating site or selling anti-depressant drugs, here is your golden chance. Study Google Hot trends for these searches and you will find your perfect customers.

If you are moving, reconsider moving to any of these states that are depressed, sad or lonely.

here is the complete list:

confession-keywords

* I used Google Keyword Tool and Google Insights. I used exact matches and eliminated many keywords that may be associated with other things like movies, music, books, popular sites, etc ‘i am legend, i am woman, i am american, etc”.