Search Engine Optimization For Dummies, Second Edition (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))

You have a cool Web site, and a really great product, service, or cause you want people to know about. But visitors aren't beating down your cyber-door. What happened? The answer, most likely, is that you haven't made your site irresistible to search engines.Search engines have a great deal of control over the volume of traffic a Web site gets, because they put your site in front of people searching for your product or service. If you know the secrets of wooing the search engines, you can * Gain greater visibility for your site * Advance your position in the rankings * Avoid techniques that cause search engines to bump your site to the end of the list * Make pay-per-click advertising pay off In addition to the familiar ones like Google and Yahoo!, there are dozens of other search engines out there. Search Engine Optimization For Dummies, 2nd Edition shows you how to create a site that will pop to the top like a cork whenever people search for related products or services. It will help you * Become familiar with search engines and search directories and find out which keywords work * Build your site with techniques that search engines like and avoid the ones they don't * Register your site with the top search systems and get it listed in directories * Find out why links are important and see how to get other sites to link to yours * Work with Google AdWords and Yahoo! Search, and explore the best and most economical ways to use pay-per-click advertising * Discover the common mistakes that make Web sites invisible to search engines There's even acompanion Web site with all the links in the book neatly (and conveniently) arranged so you don't have to type them, plus a bonus chapter to help you power up your skills. Search Engine Optimization For Dummies, 2nd Edition has been updated with the latest information on search engines plus plenty of tips and tricks to help your site get the attention it deserves! "If we build it, they will come." Unfortunately, in the field of Web sites, that's an unfulfilled dream. Having a Web site does not automatically guarantee having traffic, even if you register the site with appropriate search engines. Whether you're an e-tailer who wants customers, a business that wants clients, or an organization that wants to get your message out, Search Engine Optimization For Dummies explains the rules of the game with information on: Spiders--not the yucky kind, but the software that grabs Web pages, and then,,reads and indexes the information Search indexes or engines, search directories, non-spidered indexes, and pay-per-click systems The eight search systems you really need to impress and how to get your pages into them Keywords and how to choose them strategically and use them often Submitting to the directories, including the biggies (Yahoo! Directory and the Open Director Project) and second-tier directories Using shopping directories for e-commerce sites, complete with a list of nine popular ones and CPCs (cost per click) for various types of merchandise on various sites Written by Peter Kent, e-commerce consultant, popular speaker, and critically-acclaimed author, Search Engine Optimization For Dummies helps you build a search engine- friendly site (or fix an existing site) and build traffic, showing you how to: Use effective Web site structure and text, including filenames, directory structure, title tags, descriptive meta tags, keyword meta tags, and an HTML navigation system, Avoid things search engines avoid, such as frames, invisible navigation systems, including those created with Java applets, Java Scripts and Macromedia Flash, cluttered sites overloaded with HTML unrelated to content, and more Bulk up your site with content--original or recycled Use specialized search systems to attract valuable, highly targeted traffic Use link popularity to boost your position and your PageRank Complete with a tear-out cheat sheet and information about Web sites you may want to hit for even more information, Search Engine Optimization For Dummies will help you make the Web site hit list. Why do some sites pop to the top when you search? How do you make yours one of them? You create sites that make search engines happy thats what search engine optimization is all about. Search Engine Optimization For Dummies has been the leading resource on how to make that happen, and this third edition is completely updated to cover the newest changes, standards, tips, and tricks. This handy guide shows you how to get more visitors by getting more visibility for your Web site. Find out which search engines matter most, what they look for (and what they hate,) how to get your site included in the best indexes and directories, and the most effective ways to spend your advertising dollars. Youll discover how to: Plan a search engine strategy Build pages that offer visibility Make your site rank high with the most important search engines Avoid things that search engines dont like (and tricks that might actually get your site penalized) Use Google universal search, image search optimization, XML sitemaps, and more Choose the right keywords Track and measure your results Increase your exposure with shopping directories and retailers Boost your position with popular links and social networking sites Use pay-per-click in ways that get the most bang for your advertising buck Search Engine Optimization For Dummies, 3rd Edition also helps you skirt some of the pitfalls and become a savvy advertiser. With this book at your side, youll never need to fear search engines again! Introduction. Part I: Search Engine Basics. -- Chapter 1: Surveying the Search Engine Landscape. -- Chapter 2: Your One-Hour Search-Engine-Friendly Web Site Makeover. -- Chapter 3: Making Your Site Useful and Telling People about It. -- Chapter 4: Picking Powerful Keywords. Part II: Building Search-Engine-Friendly Sites. -- Chapter 5: Creating Pages That Search Engines Love. -- Chapter 6: Avoiding Things That Search Engines Hate. -- Chapter 7: Dirty Deeds Facing the Consequences. -- Chapter 8: Bulking Up Your Site Complete with Content. Part III: Adding Your Site to the Indexes and Directories. -- Chapter 9: Getting Your Pages into the Search Engines. -- Chapter 10: Submitting to the Directories. -- Chapter 11: Buried Treasure -More Great Places to Submit Your Site. Part IV: After You've Submitted. -- Chapter 12: Using Link Popularity to Boost Your Position. -- Chapter 13: Finding Sites to Link to Yours. -- Chapter 14: Using the Shopping Directories and Retailers. -- Chapter 15: Pay Per Click Overture, Google AdWords, and More. Part V: The Part of Tens. -- Chapter 16: Ten-Plus Ways to Keep Up-to-Date and Track Down the Details. -- Chapter 17: Ten Myths and Mistakes. -- Chapter 18: Ten-Plus Useful Tools for Search Engine Optimization. Part VI: Appendix. Appendix: Staying Out of Copyright Jail. Index This title shows Web site designers, owners and search engine optimizers (SEOs) how to build sites that rank high in the search engines and generate high traffic. It covers creating search-engine friendly sites and pages, registering sites with standard search engines, directories, software and more