Universal Search Optimization Tips

Video results are constantly gaining visibility in search results, so making sure video content is optimized is becoming more important for top rankings. Some tips for video optimization include: • Titing a video file with target keywords. "Make your content accessible and optimized by ensuring good internal linking structures, unique titles, descriptions and surrounding text content. If you can build an emotional trigger for your traffic to share the content, you'll have far "Adding video to your search engine optimization strategy is one of the easiest ways websites have to penetrate difficult search terms. Putting out a short "how to" or instructional" video • Submitting one video to multiple video sharing websites. (YouTube, Video Jug. Vimeo, etc.) • Keywordcentric tagging. •Link building with keyword focused anchor text pointing to your video. -Rand Fishkin • Building a video site map and submitting it to Google Webmaster Tools. your top keyword teround you get into or get a secondary listing for your website" The Wizard of Mor, SEOmor -Michael Gray CEO, Atlas Wee Service more success." NEWS LA INTERNET MARKETING 2009 UNIVERSAL SEARCH OPTIMIZATION GOLOCAL News results and the most recent press releases for a com- pany or subject will definitely begin to show up more fre- quently on the first page of search results. A few tips to get your company news results in Universal Search: Being listed in Google Maps and Google Local has quickly surpassed the importance of being in the yellow pages. Make sure your business shows up when some- one searches your business name and keywords related to your business. • Send out your press releases on a regular cycle. • Include target keywords in the title of your release and throughout its copy. • Use PRWeb and other top press release submission sites for online distribution. • Anchor text target keywords in the press release to your site and other sources. • Include keywordcentric alt tags with any submitted images. • Establish a business address in the city where you warnt your site to rank. rarik • Join a local Chamber of Commerce and request a link from its site. Do a search for your target city, ike "City, State." Get links from the top pages associated with your target city. • Link to your Google listing from your site using your target anchor text. • hclude localized anchor text in your link building efforts. • nclude keyword terms in your business description. • Have loyal customers publish reviews about your business on your Google Local listing- FOIMAGES IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT CONTENT ANYMORE! "Google likes reviews. And Belkin showed they can be had for as little as 65 cents. Encourage customers to review your products & services publicly to boost rankings and provide social proof of value." Get ready SEOS... in 2009, it's not all about search engine webpage rankings Images will be infiltrating more search results in 2009. It will become more important this year to optimize every image on your site if you want your pictures to rank. anymore! According to Google, they will offially be launching their Universal Search model in early 2009 to make users' search experience as simple and straightforward as possible. So what does that mean for the SEO world? The search • Use target keywords to name all images and describe an image in the alt fags. game is not all about ranking #1 in the results anymore. Considering that there could be 2 videos, a series of images, and a map of local businesses ABOVE your top (SERP) webpage ranking, it's time to turn those optimization efforts to new fhelds. • Include keywordcentered anchor text pointing to an image. - Aaron Wall Author, SEOBook.com • Include keywords in any captions. As Google incorporates Universal Search into its resuts in 2009, all types of web content will begin to appear on page one - not just web pages. Before you know it, whitepapers, images, news stories, products, and videos will permanently infitrate search results. • Make sure an image is placed next to relevant text in page copy. • Make sure your robots.txt file allows the spiders access to images. "Google Base is the best value for an online retailer. Year after year, the exposure of Base continues to increase and sales continue to increase despite a competition increase. Business can boom pretty quickly after a feed is set up with only a few tests and changes." Tag images appropriately and host them on websites like Flickr or PhotoBucket. "Universal search has changed the game. Not only in how results will be shown in Google, but also in how Google can determine the popularity and relevancy of spe- cific websites with the use of what I like to call'universal indicators!" PRODUCTS • Include width, height, source, and alt tags in all image code. • Enable image search in Google Webmaster Tools. • Take down old images and reload them to increase relevancy. If a company or website offers any type of product for sale - shoes, car parts, even podcasts - they will be showing up more frequently in related search results. Want your products to show up in front of online customers? Here are some things to do to make that happen. - Brian Mark "Google now will super-size the search results and go beyond 10, ifit feels that's appropriate, which means more room for content. So a few optimization improvements may bring your video or images to the first page of the 'regular' search results even when your website isn't." CTO, Toolbarn.com -Rae Hoffman CEO of Sugarrae, Inc. and MFE Interactive, Inc. - • Create an optimized data feed- don't be skimpy on the details and number of custom fields. PRÓSPECTMX • Include keywords in the title and description of your product. INTERNET MARKETING 2009 : UNIVERSAL SEARCH OPTIMIZATION www.PROSPECTMX.COM • Model your feed after a ranking competitor, but improve upon it by applying SEO best practices. - Danny Sulivan Editor-in-Chiet SearchEngineland.com CUSTOMIZED INTERNET MARKETING STRATEGIES • Refresh / update your product feed at least 3 times a week. Daily if possible. Desety 221 ROHRERSTOWN ROAD :: LANCASTER, PA 17603 c2009 PROSPECTM LLC