Think Like a Search Engine and Understand SEO

"Why does my competitor’s site outrank my site on Google?"

As a general rule, anytime you’re trying to understand search engine optimization you should look at it from viewpoint of a search engine. You’ll find that logically, this type of marketing only makes sense if you think like a search engine.

In order for a search engine to stay in business they need a dedicated user base. To keep people searching on Google or Yahoo, the engines need to provide the best results possible. For example, if I do a search for "baseball bats", and the first result is a site that sells "baseball hats", the poor result means I’m not likely to use that search engine in the future. So how do the major search engines determine what sites are the most appropriate for any given search term?

Search engines analyze the content of a page to determine its topic. But even then there are thousands of pages that could be considered relevant for any given keyword (2,040,000 for baseball bats). How does Google determine which page is likely to be the most satisfying result that will keep their users happy?

They’re looking for a site that has demonstrated they are a useful online resource. To do this, a website must provide content that is unique, helpful and important. However, interpreting the written word is beyond the scope of a search engine. To determine if a website is useful, a search engine examines the sites that link to it.

In fact, search engines weigh inbound links very strongly. Each link that points to your home page is a vote of confidence. The more votes you get the more useful and popular your site is seen by the engines. To demonstrate that your site is a useful resource, you need to show link growth. A site that is growing links is actively demonstrating its importance on the web – it’s proving that it is a useful resource. It also greatly helps if you mirror your link growth with content and page growth. If you implement a strategy that creates new links and new content, you will help establish your site as a powerful source in its field.

If your competitor is outranking you, it’s time you start demonstrating to the engines that your site is more useful than the competition. Add more content – and get more links. You’ll find that even small changes can make a significant difference to your search placement. In fact, with the right type of online growth, you should see your site begin to change it’s positioning in as little as 45 days.

Thinking like a search engine isn’t tricky at all. It’s the best way to naturally improve your search presence, and, hopefully, provide a better online resource for your customers.

Some just don’t mix credit cards and the Internet.

Eight in 10 consumers who had a preference said they would spend more online if they had a safe and convenient alternative to credit cards, according to Javelin Strategy and Research’s "2007 Annual Javelin Consumer Payment Poll," commissioned by PaymentOne.

Respondents said they would spend $100-$1,000 more annually with alternative payment options.

That "who had a preference" part was important, because many shoppers already buy with their payment method of choice, be it credit, debit, PayPal or something similar. The Javelin study shined a light on those who did not feel these existing options were safe.

Security and credit alternatives were the main factors that would get consumers to make more purchases.

Two-thirds of respondents limited their online shopping, fearing abuse or theft of their privacy and financial information.

Among those who did not buy online, the top concern was the possibility of information being intercepted during a transaction or accessed by unauthorized parties. Lack of a credit or debit card was also a problem for 22% of non-buyers.

Although retailers have done a good job in addressing online shopper concerns about security and shipping, a third of Internet users were still not online buyers as of 2006.

Credit card fraud and identity theft were the main reasons cited by respondents to "The Multi-Channel Shopping Transformation Study" conducted in April 2006 by the e-tailing group in partnership with J.C. Williams Group and StartSampling.

Most consumers who shop online eventually take the leap to become online buyers. According to eMarketer estimates, 85% of online shoppers will also be online buyers this year.

The question is how to convert those who still have concerns about online shopping in the first place.

eMarketer Senior Analyst Jeffrey Grau says, "Many of the concerns consumers have about online buying are based on irrational fears. Nevertheless, these fears must be addressed. Having a simple return or order cancellation policy, displaying customer product recommendations and reviews, and having an easy-to-use site all help build consumer trust."

apparatchik • \ah-puh-RAH-chik\ • noun

1 : member of a Communist apparat

2 : a blindly devoted official, follower, or member of an organization (as a corporation or political party)

Example Sentence:
The boss seemed to prefer apparatchiks to anyone with a glimmer of independent thought.

Did you know?
In the context of the definition of "apparatchik" (a term English speakers borrowed from Russian), "apparat" essentially means "party machine." An "apparatchik," therefore, is a cog in the system of the Communist Party. The term is not an especially flattering one, and its negative connotations reflect the perception that some Communists were obedient drones in the great Party machine. In current use, however, a person doesn’t have to be a member of the Communist Party to be called an "apparatchik"; he or she just has to be someone who mindlessly follows orders in an organization or bureaucracy.

Not just your ordinay atlas. Lots of stats and figures. 6.4 Billion. Wow! Are there really that many of us?

http://www.graphicmaps.com/geoquiz/thelist.htm

On this day:

• Brooklyn Bridge Opens to Traffic (1883)
  The Brooklyn Bridge, one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States, stretches over the East River from Manhattan to Brooklyn. Construction on the bridge began in 1869 and lasted 14 years. At the time of its completion, it was the first steel-wire suspension bridge in the world and was the world’s longest suspension bridge—fifty percent longer than any previously built. The bridge was opened to traffic on May 24, 1883.