South Florida Web Marketing Blog

Every website is different. Each web designer tries to express themselves through their work. The result is hopefully a balance between the visual aspect and intelligent content that will compel the visitor to take an action – like buying something, registering, posting or just coming back for more. The key issue in site design is having a website that works for both the user and the search engines. Spending time to develop the layout – is time well spent. There are always different methods of creating a website, but knowing which ones that works can attract more traffic to your site.

There are a few pit falls that can stop spiders and confuse visitors. Here are the following issues that can affect your rankings and a visitor’s browser:

• If you use a JavaScript menu – test it with several browsers! Then test it with a spider simulator, you will be surprised how many times JavaScript menus can kill a spider, never indexing the rest of your website. The rest of your website will never be found in the search engines.
• CSS menus. These are normally text based and the search engine spiders can follow them easily.
• Always start with a DOCTYPE. This tells the web browser what type of document will be displayed and how to interpret the html page code. If you start the web page without this, your website will not be W3C compliant.
• Links to your web pages – try to use keyword phrases. Search Engines like seeing keywords hyperlinked to web pages that use that keyword.
• Too many directory levels (Keep it to a maximum of 3 levels). Keep your directory levels to a minimum of 2. The more levels, can affect, but I have seen some sites with more than 3 levels do well.
• If the underlying code causes browser errors and warnings – check your code for W3C compliance – Browsers will change the layout and on screen objects will more.
  
• Use a sitemap to get all your web pages found and indexed, use more than one sitemap if you have over 100 web pages
• Flash menus are not indexed! So if you have a complete flash website, your main web page will be about the only thing the search engine will see and only the text on that web page will be indexed.

I have seen where the web page looks totally different under different browsers. So test and retest. Things that will affect browsers:

1. DOCTYPE
2. JavaScript
3. CSS
4. html code with errors

All these little issues can affect your rankings and how visitors view your website. Take the time to think and test your layout. It will help your website marketing in the long run.

-Smitty-

Webpronews video interview with Ken Jurina and Curtis Dueck about how their search engine research is supposed to revolutionize search engine marketing.

http://videos.webpronews.com

I just got a great newletter from Webpronews. In it, was a link to a web page with an excellent video interview conducted by Webpronews’s Mike McDonald with Alan Dick and Brian Mark. Alan and Brian are successful online marketing e-tailers. Well worth your time to watch.

webpronews.com – ses-the-benefits-of-seo-in-online-retail

I ran across these chairs recently, because I needed something more comfortable. I sit way too long and felt sore when I got up. I have sat on balance balls before, but this is the first time I saw the stability ball incorporated into a chair. I love the concept.

I got this e-mail today (like many you whom have Sponsor Search Accounts). I think Yahoo is trying too hard to be like Google. I have to ask why take away something that truly helps the bidding process. Google does not offer it, you have to guess and test to find where your bids should be.

I guess the bottom line is profit. If you do not know how every one else is bidding it makes it easier for you to bump up the base bids. That is what Google does. If you do not reach their minimum bids, they take your ad off line. Makes you think why would they do that? It all comes down to revenue.

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This is the letter I got from Yahoo:

As you will soon notice when you log into your Sponsored Search account, we are making some important changes to your Manage Bids page.

In early December 2006, some of the information on the Manage Bids page will no longer be available. We will be removing the “Top 5 Max Bids,” “Position” and “Your Cost” columns from the current account interface. The View Bids tool will also be removed.

These columns will be replaced with two new columns of data:

• Estimated Average Position
  This displays an estimate of the average position your listing may achieve, based on your bid and the current bids of other advertisers.
• Bid Range for Top Positions
  This displays the current range of bids other advertisers are willing to pay for the positions at the top of the search results page.

To learn why we’ve made these changes and more, please see our FAQs.

Further Questions?
If you have questions, please contact our Customer Solutions department via the Support Request Form or call 866-YAHOO-96 (866-924-6696).