Strategies for Search Engine Success

Polysort LLC Angela Charles

Why is my competitor’s site on the first page of Google, and how can we get our

company’s site there?

Strategies for Search Engine Success

Presentation Outline

World Internet Use

Why Search Engines, Google are Important

What is Search Engine Optimization

Strategies for SEO Success

SEO Case Study

The Million-Dollar Question

World Internet Use

Internet Users (millions)

Penetration % of World Users

North America 246.8 73.1% 15.7%

Europe 390.1 48.5% 24.8%

Asia 650.3 17.2% 41.3%

Latin America 166.3 28.6% 10.6%

-- Internet World Stats, Dec. 2008

Why Search Engines are Important

7.3 billion searches conducted daily in U.S.

85% of Internet users use search engines

73% of engineers, buyers and other members of the industrial sector use search engines or online industrial directories ahead of print

87% of B2B consumers look to white papers and other online research before making any purchase.

Google: The 800 lb. Gorilla

Search Engine Market Share 2008

AOL4%

Ask4%

MSN8%

Yahoo21%

Google63%

-- comScore

What is Search Engine Optimization?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the method of improving a web site’s position in the earned results of search engines, by altering on-page and off-page elements to increase traffic click-thru and leads.

Improve position on earned results On-page and off-page elements Increase site traffic and leads

Earned Results

PaidListing

87% of commercial clicks take place on earned listings

85% of searchers say they ignore paid listings

On-Page and Off-Page Elements

On-Page• Content

– Keywords – Does your site describe what customers are looking for?

– Is your content robust enough for search engines?

• Meta coding– Title tag– Meta description– Keyword tag

• Programming– No obstacles to indexing

Off-Page (Incoming Links)54 Factors

Strategies for SEO Success

Keyword Research

Optimize content and meta tags

Search engine-friendly programming

Incoming links

The Million-Dollar Question

Are Your Keywords Missing the Boat?

Keyword

# Results on Google

# Searches on Google per month

Injection press 26.4 million 1,600

Injection molding machine

1.28 million 246,000

Injection molding machines

930,000 3,600

Injection machines 417,000 8,100

The term that most machinery companies use to describe their products gets the fewest searches.

Determining your company’s “Performance Keywords” requires Keyword Research

Keyword Research

How often is targeted term searched? Are there similar terms that get more searches? Are there more detailed, niche terms worth targeting? How many pages will you be competing against? Is your page similar to others on the Search Engines

Results Page (SERP)? How many incoming links do top-performing sites

have?

Title tag and description tag incorporate keyword

Image Alt tag references keyword

Site content uses targeted keyword

Good Content = Good Results

White papers, technical articles

Data sheets Product catalog Case studies Industry glossary

Use your site to educate and the search engines

will reward you with good placement.

Most-Valued Content

Detailed product information, including technical

specifications.

-- GlobalSpec 2006 survey of industrial sector technical buyers, engineers

Search-Friendly Programming

Your site might not be search-friendly if…

It is built in frames

It has a flash intro or is built entirely in flash

It uses java programming for navigation bars

It relies heavily on graphics

No contentThese comprise 90% of the problems.

How to fix: In most cases, redesign

Keys to Search-Friendly Programming

Crawlers or bots can access the site

Proper use of meta tags

Use cascading style sheets (.css)

Use H1, H2, H3 tags

Simple navigation structure

Proper use of flash, java, other bells and whistles

Design and Search Engines

Search engines don’t care, but site visitors do.

Some sites that perform well on search engines fail to convert the visitor to a serious lead because the site looks unprofessional or does a poor job of conveying the company’s value to the prospect.

“Many websites are only doing a mediocre job of intriguing users and inviting returns to the websites. There are many reasons a user might not return, but for many it is simply the layout of the site.”

-- BizReport, April 17, 2007

Links: The Other 50% of the Equation

Incoming links signify site credibility The more, the better (more than competitors) High-quality links important

-- Industry portals (Polysort.com)-- Associations (NPE.org)-- Trade publications (PlasticsNews.com)-- General business (Business.com)-- Important online directories (DMOZ) -- Supplement with content on 3rd party sites (YouTube, PRLeap)

Link building never ends

SEO Results: Traffic & Leads

SEO CASE STUDY: Industrial Company – 1 Year Later Monthly web site traffic up 800%

Number of active leads up 400%

Before SEO

No keyword positions on first 3 pages of Google

12 incoming links

After SEO

795 keywords on first 3 pages of Google

More than 500 incoming links

ROI: Client reports that project paid for itself in less than one year.

The Million-Dollar Question

What happens when everyone has search engine-optimized their sites?

Adoption rates never hit saturation

Technology ever-changing: SEO, websites must adapt

The next big thing

First plastics and rubber industry portal, launched in 1995

Provides website design and search engine optimization for plastics and rubber companies

Expertise in Internet marketing, search engine positioning

Angela Charles, President

angelac@polysort.com

Tel. 800-326-8666 ext. 2102

www.polysort.com