SEO: Search Engine Optimization Bible

411 Pages·2008·10.6 MB·English

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SEO
Search Engine Optimization
Bible
Jerri L. Ledford
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
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SEO
Search Engine Optimization
Bible
Jerri L. Ledford
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
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For James — Because your faith was
strong even when mine began to fail.
Search Engine Optimization Bible
Published by
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
10475 Crosspoint Boulevard
Indianapolis, IN 46256
www.wiley.com
Copyright © 2008 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
Published simultaneously in Canada
ISBN: 978-0-470-17500-2
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from Publisher.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108
of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization
through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA
01923, [phone], fax [phone]. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Legal
Department, Wiley Publishing, Inc., 10475 Crosspoint Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46256, [phone], fax [phone],
or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty:The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with
respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including
without limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or
promotional materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation. This work
is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional
services. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Neither
the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. The fact that an organization or Website is
referred to in this work as a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author
or the publisher endorses the information the organization or Website may provide or recommendations it may make.
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About the Author
Jerri Ledfordis the author of more than a dozen technology books and hundreds of articles about
business and technology subjects. Her books and articles have been published in many languages
throughout the world. Jerri also writes and teaches technology courses online for organizations such
as HP, Forbes, AOL, and Sony. When she’s not buried in a writing project, Jerri spends all of her time
working on other writing projects or on the Alabama and Florida beaches with her children.
About the Technical Editor
Micah Baldwinis recognized as a leader in the search engine marketing industry, having helped
author several books on search engine marketing and often speaking at industry events. Micah started
Current Wisdom, a full-service search marketing agency, in 2003 after building ServiceMagic’s search
marketing initiative. In January 2007, Micah sold Current Wisdom to Indigio Group, a Denver-based
interactive agency, where he currently works as senior vice president, media strategy.
Credits
Acquisitions Editor Vice President and
Katie Mohr Executive Group Publisher
Richard Swadley
Development Editor
William Bridges Vice President and Executive Publisher
Joseph B. Wikert
Technical Editor
Micah Baldwin Project Coordinator, Cover
Lynsey Osborn
Production Editor
Angela Smith Compositor
Laurie Stewart, Happenstance Type-O-Rama
Copy Editor
Kim Cofer Proofreader
Sossity Smith
Editorial Manager
Mary Beth Wakefield Indexer
Johnna VanHoose Dinse
Production Manager
Tim Tate Anniversary Logo Design
Richard Pacifico
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After having written more than a dozen books, there is one thing that I can say for sure: no book is
written without a ton of helpful people guiding, pushing, and providing for the author. Before even
acknowledging that team, though, I must say thanks to God for giving me a talent that few people
possess and the means by which to use that talent.
There is an entire team at Wiley that I owe a huge thank-you to. These people — Katie Mohr, Mary
Beth Wakefield, Tom Dinse, and a good dozen or so other people whom I never get to speak to —
are responsible for making this book a reality. They handle production from beginning to end, and
without them, there would be no book.
My favorite development editor in the world is among those I owe thanks to as well. Bill Bridges
has worked with me on several books now, and he’s the reason that my words are spelled and
ordered correctly and not full of clichés. Without Bill, the book would be half the quality that
it is now. Thanks, friend!
And then there’s Micah Baldwin. Micah put lots of hours into ensuring the technical accuracy of
the text within these pages. His suggestions (and saves) have kept my facts true. Thanks, Micah.
All the interviews included in Appendix B were also gifts to me. Thanks to each of you who took
the time to talk to me, to answer my sometimes dumb questions, and to allow me to pass your
wisdom on to our readers. Your help provided valuable insight for me, as I hope it will for the
reader as well.
Thanks, too, to my Mobile family. Big Jennifer and Little Jennifer, Rick, and James — you’re my
support system. And you’re there when I need you; you leave when I need space, and you under-
stand that brain drain from writing is a temporary situation and love me still. Without you and
our weekly dinners, I wouldn’t be able to function nearly as effectively. Thanks, guys!
And thanks to you for reading the book. I hope you find all the information you seek.
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Introduction..................................................................................................................................xv
Part I: Understanding SEO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Chapter 1: Search Engine Basics......................................................................................................3
Chapter 2: Creating an SEO Plan..................................................................................................17
Part II: SEO Strategies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Chapter 3: Building Your Site for SEO..........................................................................................33
Chapter 4: Keywords and Your Web Site ......................................................................................59
Chapter 5: Pay-per-Click and SEO................................................................................................73
Chapter 6: Maximizing Pay-per-Click Strategies............................................................................97
Chapter 7: Increasing Keyword Success......................................................................................115
Chapter 8: Understanding and Using Behavioral Targeting..........................................................125
Chapter 9: Managing Keyword and PPC Campaigns ..................................................................133
Chapter 10: Keyword Tools and Services....................................................................................151
Chapter 11: Tagging Your Web Site ............................................................................................167
Chapter 12: The Content Piece of the Puzzle..............................................................................177
Chapter 13: Understanding the Role of Links and Linking..........................................................193
Part III: Optimizing Search Strategies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Chapter 14: Adding Your Site to Directories ..............................................................................211
Chapter 15: Pay-for-Inclusion Services........................................................................................219
Chapter 16: Robots, Spiders, and Crawlers ................................................................................227
Chapter 17: The Truth About SEO Spam....................................................................................239
Chapter 18: Adding Social-Media Optimization..........................................................................247
Chapter 19: Automated Optimization ........................................................................................257
Part IV: Maintaining SEO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Chapter 20: SEO Beyond the Launch..........................................................................................265
Chapter 21: Analyzing Success....................................................................................................271
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CCoonntteennttss at a Glance
Appendices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Appendix A: Optimization for Major Search Engines..................................................................281
Appendix B: Industry Interviews ................................................................................................287
Appendix C: SEO Software, Tools, and Resources ......................................................................347
Appendix D: Worksheets............................................................................................................359
Glossary......................................................................................................................................373
Index..........................................................................................................................................381
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Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv
Part I: Understanding SEO 1
Chapter 1: Search Engine Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
What Is a Search Engine?......................................................................................................5
Anatomy of a Search Engine ................................................................................................5
Query interface............................................................................................................6
Crawlers, spiders, and robots......................................................................................7
Databases....................................................................................................................8
Search algorithms........................................................................................................8
Retrieval and ranking..................................................................................................9
Characteristics of Search ....................................................................................................11
Classifications of Search Engines ........................................................................................11
Primary search engines..............................................................................................11
Secondary search engines..........................................................................................13
Targeted search engines ............................................................................................13
Putting Search Engines to Work for You..............................................................................13
Manipulating Search Engines..............................................................................................14
Chapter 2: Creating an SEO Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Understanding Why You Need SEO....................................................................................18
Setting SEO Goals ..............................................................................................................19
Creating Your SEO Plan......................................................................................................20
Prioritizing pages ......................................................................................................21
Site assessment..........................................................................................................21
Finishing the plan......................................................................................................22
Follow-up..................................................................................................................23
Understanding Organic SEO ..............................................................................................23
Achieving Organic SEO ......................................................................................................24
Web-site content........................................................................................................24
Google Analytics........................................................................................................25
Internal and external links ........................................................................................26
User experience ........................................................................................................27
Site interactivity........................................................................................................28
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