Weekly SEO news: 17 January 2012

Welcome to the latest issue of the Search Engine Facts newsletter.

The keywords that you use for search engine optimization are very important. Choose the right keywords and your website will get many new customers. Choose the wrong keywords and you will lose a lot of time and money. There are several things that you should do before using a keyword suggestion tool.

Also in the news: Google publishes 'Search, plus your world' and many people don't like it, the latest search engine statistics, Bing gets good press and more.

Table of contents:

We hope that you enjoy this newsletter and that it helps you to get more out of your website. Please pass this newsletter on to your friends.

Best regards,
Andre Voget, Johannes Selbach, Axandra CEO
1. How to find good keywords without keyword research tools

The keywords that you use for search engine optimization are very important. Choose the right keywords and your website will get many new customers. Choose the wrong keywords and you will lose a lot of time and money.

Most people focus on keyword suggestion tools when looking for new keywords. However, there are several things that you should do before using a keyword suggestion tool:

SEO keywords

1. Describe what you do in easy words

Try to describe what your company does without using any business specific words. How would you describe your company to your parents or even your grand parents? These descriptions help you to find new keywords that are related to your business.

2. Find the unique selling proposition of your company

What makes your company special? How are you different from your competitors? Do you offer great service? Do you offer the lowest prices? If you offer great service, add service related keyword modifiers to your list. If you don't want to sell by price, avoid words like "cheap" or "low cost" in your keyword lists.

3. Find words with multiple meanings

Some words have multiple meanings. If you sell products that have names that can be confused, make sure that your website visitors immediately know what they will get. If you sell tablets, do your customers know whether they are tablet computers, bath tablets, clay tablets, chewable tablets, writing tablets or graphical tablets?

4. Focus on your most profitable products

You don't have to be listed for every single keyword on search engines. If some of your products have a small margin, it doesn't make sense to optimize your web pages for them. Better focus on the keywords that are related to the products that are profitable for your business.

5. Write down the 10 most important keywords

Make a list of the 10 most important keywords and then take a close look at the list. Are the keywords all about the same product? Do you cover all aspects of your services and products with these keywords?

Do not follow your first instincts. Carefully go through the list and check why you find a keyword important.

When you optimize your web pages for search engines, start with very targeted keywords that attract targeted website visitors. Do not use one-word keywords or keywords with multiple meanings. The more targeted your keywords are, the more likely it is that you will get new customers with these keywords.

 
2. Search engine news and articles of the week

December 2011 U.S. Search Engine RankingsStatistics

"Google Sites led the U.S. explicit core search market in December with 65.9 percent market share (up 0.5 percentage points), followed by Microsoft Sites with 15.1 percent (up 0.1 percentage points) and Yahoo! Sites with 14.5 percent. Ask Network accounted for 2.9 percent of explicit core searches, followed by AOL, Inc. with 1.6 percent."



Google announces 'Search, plus your world'

"We’re transforming Google into a search engine that understands not only content, but also people and relationships. We began this transformation with Social Search, and today we’re taking another big step in this direction by introducing three new features:

Personal Results, which enable you to find information just for you, such as Google+ photos and posts—both your own and those shared specifically with you, that only you will be able to see on your results page;

Profiles in Search, both in autocomplete and results, which enable you to immediately find people you’re close to or might be interested in following; and,

People and Pages, which help you find people profiles and Google+ pages related to a specific topic or area of interest, and enable you to follow them with just a few clicks. Because behind most every query is a community."

Related: Does “search plus your world” actually improve your search results? Nope. and When I search your name, I’m not looking for your Google+ profile and Google likely to face FTC complaint over 'Search Plus Your World'



BingGoogle just made Bing the best search engine

"If you care about working efficiently, or getting the right results when you search, then maybe you should too. Don't laugh! [...]

In short, it's a lot like Google. Not the Google of today, but the Google you fell in love with, the one that put your search results above its financial ones. The Google that delivered."



Could Bing seriously challenge Google?

"Now I'm pretty sure that Google thinks their magic, whatever that might be, will keep people using Google no matter how much crap they shovel onto the search page. Maybe that was true up to a point, but Google is now over the line."



Search advertising is growing in efficiency

"Search spend increases 14% YoY in the United States and 19% YoY in the UK as retailers spent aggressively in Q4. US spend in retail grew by 18% YoY and 40% QoQ and UK retail spend grew by 10% YoY. This indicates a consistent seasonal ramp up in Q4 and resulted in a strong fourth quarter overall. Retail ROI YoY remained steady."



Search engine newslets

  • Google admits profiting from illegal Olympic ticket ads.
  • The Google gospel of speed.
  • A brief history of Google Places.
  • Real-life examples of how Google’s 'Search Plus' pushes Google+ over relevancy.
  • Bing testing a new media bar on the homepage.
  • FTC said to expand antitrust probe to add Google+ service.
  • DuckDuckGo.com has a new design.

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3. Success stories

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Let us know how IBP has helped you to improve your website and we might publish your success story with a link to your website in this newsletter. The more detailed your story is, the better. Click here to tell us your story.



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