algarve SEO

(1) our approach to SEO 2009

We value our clients, our business, and the name we've made for Gráfica-Link over the years. One of the things that's helped our success is the practice of only honest, legal, organic methods when optimising our own and our client's websites for search engines. Our techniques don't include hidden or illegal tactics!

Methods designed to trick search engines will only last so long, so although you may experience an initial "flash in the pan" success, what follows is usually anything from a slow downwards creep in search engine position, a sudden tremendous drop in rankings or - worst case scenario - one day, you find that your website has been banned from the search engines.

An unethical company employing such methods can claim "we did it!", but what they don't tell you is that this is temporary success - nothing more than a trick which falls into the "take your money and run" category.

the Common Sense approach

A big part of search engine optimisation is a common sense approach which includes, but isn't limited to, studying your website, researching key words and phrases, and making competitor comparisons. Because writing copy for a website is not the same as writing for printed media such as books and magazines, we have to consider your content as well.

We want our client's websites to be successful, and so we optimise our clients' site using the same proven methods as our own. These techniques are commonly referred to as "organic search engine optimisation" and is the long-standing method that's worked for many years and continues to work today.

(2) SEO: Search Engine Optmisation 101 2010

You've undoubtedly heard the phrase "SEO", but maybe you don't know what it means, what it does - or, why you need it.

Search Engine Optmisation (SEO) is the process of steps applied to your website to assist in achieving good search engine ranking and positive indexing results. Proper search engine optimisation helps your website to be found on the Internet - but even the most reputable SEO companies will not give you any guarantees. Why? Because they know better!

outsourcing SEO

A skilled website designer has the ability to create an eye appealing website with great functionality, but is not necessarily trained in SEO. This by no means detracts from their website development qualifications, just that they should have resources to sub-contract the SEO services for the development of your website and be willing to take advantage of these resources.

If your website designer doesn't offer SEO services, consider commissioning one of our SEO Packages. But please, make sure to check with your designer before you do! It's not unusual for a website to be developed as a team effort, so we'll happily coordinate with them if they can't provide the SEO service directly.

about the Search Engines

The most popular search engine for quite some time has been Google. Google is the chosen search engine of over 80% of Internet users! You're probably familiar with some of the others: Yahoo, MSN, AOL, Netscape, Hot Bot, Dog Pile, and Teoma just to name a few.

It's interesting to note that if you key the same search phrase into a number of different search engines, you are likely going to get different results supplied in each. This is because different algorithms and search rules are used by each one. This is just one more reason to have your site optimised professionally - not all search engines are designed to work like one another.

getting your website found

It's important to remember that no matter which search engine your visitors may use, ideal placement is within the first three pages of results, and of course first place is everyone's priority. Google alone travels through millions of websites every day. Your site is just one of those millions! Being one in a million should give you a good insight as to why good search engine optimisation is so important, and why getting found isn't simply a matter of uploading a website, expecting it will be found automatically.

It's a fact that most Internet surfers will view just the first two to three pages of results when researching their topic before moving on to another search engine or on to investigating the results they've just found. Even though there is never a guarantee of top placement, you would preferably want to be found on that first page of results and high up within those results. Competition is tough, and the cold hard fact is that there is only one website that can have Nº1 placement for any given topic. Rankings fluctuate also, which means Nº1 today might not be Nº1 tomorrow. So, although a Nº1 ranking is a great achievement don't assume that if you get there, you'll stay there.

It's a constant struggle and a time consuming process to get good placement. Nobody has control over which search engine any person will use - you want to be easily found no matter which search engine is being used.

about Optimisation

What is the "optimisation" part of the term search engine optimisation? Each search engines has rules they use when indexing and ranking websites. Search engines use something called "algorithms" to complete their indexing and ranking. To "optimise" something is to adjust it to make it better. In the case of SEO, we "tweak" your site according to current search engine rules using legal techniques to make it rank higher - neither you or your visitors actually see the SEO, as it works in the background.

SEO involves a process of steps to help your website obtain good search engine ranking and positive indexing results. In other words, we help your website to be found on the internet.

Gráfica-Link don't promise unfounded and unrealistic goals - no self-respecting SEO person would guarantee top rankings, simply because there are too many variables outside of our control.

But, without SEO, that new website you've created could be a wasted of time and money. You can have the best looking site on the Internet, but if it can't be found… what good is it? Just having a website on the Internet isn't enough - if it's not constructed properly and doesn't have proper SEO applied to it, it's not going to be much use.

(3) SEO reality check! 2010

Good SEO is not one time addition to your website, it's a long-term commitment on the part of both SEO Specialist and the client. Search engines change their requirements, technology improves rapidly, web surfers alter their habits, your competitors come and go, your products or services change... the list goes on. As these things and others change, so should your website.

Proper search engine optimisation is an ongoing process that includes monitoring and making adjustments or 'tweaks' as needed. Your website content needs to be refreshed on a regular basis and after the basic site is live - you need to be continually 'growing' your website. The more relevant pages you have on your website containing good solid content, the more chances it has of being found and gaining ground in the race to be seen. If you're only targeting local traffic, it's not quite as difficult - but the smaller the website, the harder it is to get it ranked. We can't stress enough that the more relevant pages you have on your site, the better it is.

you need to be involved in the process

Your cooperation with your Search Engine Specialist is one of the major keys to your success - there's no magic button for us to press that makes your website perform better, we can only work with what you provide us. Good SEO is not just about hiring someone to perform a one-time-service, as that will only get you so far. You must make and keep the commitment to follow through at your end.

Successful search engine optimisation takes time and effort. If you forget to optimise your website on a regular basis, it goes stale and slides down the rankings. There is no such thing as overnight success - it's a lot of hard work and it's time consuming!

submitting to hundreds of Search Engines

Less reputable companies tell you they will submit your site to perhaps hundreds of search engines. They'll tell you that they'll do this on a regularly scheduled basis and convince you that it's the way to move right up there into first place. Wrong! Once a site is submitted to a search engine and indexed there is no need to submit it any longer. If you have good solid legal content, once indexed it will remain indexed. As a matter of fact, submitting a site more than once can have a negative result in the long run. Today's reality is that websites no longer even need to be submitted to most search engines. This process has gone the way of bygone days.

What is search engine indexing? This means that a website has been included in that search engine's index (or listing) of websites. Web sites don't just "fall out" of a search engine. They will absolutely and most definitely "float around" in ranking because that's the nature of search engines, but they won't fall out for no reason. Keep in mind that indexing and ranking are two different things. Your site may be indexed but that doesn't mean it will automatically rank well.

And, what was that about hundreds of search engines? Consider that there are only a handful of of top search engines that web surfers utilize regularly and that only these are influential in the overall picture — so, what other search engines might these companies be submitting your site to? Likely, small, obscure sites that call themselves a search engine. Your site is submitted to search engines that no one has ever heard of and that no one uses.

ranking considerations

There are simply too many outside factors involved in search engine optimisation and ranking to accurately guarantee rankings. Here are just a few of examples:

1. Consider first that there are billions of websites on the Internet; your site is just one among these billions - literally, a needle in a haystack.
2. Then there's your competition; brick and mortar stores may have several local competitors - your website competes with others all over the world! You may have a very unique product that has become quite popular in your area.
3. We're not able to perform services that would potentially improve your ranking if you set limits that prevent us from doing so; in other words, we may offer advice — but you may choose not to take it. Most people refuse better search engine optimisation techniques because they don't want to spend the money and/or don't want to invest their own time into higher levels of optimisation practices.
4. Search engines cannot read images; websites built entirely or even mainly in graphics or with key content built into the images of the site do not rank well in the search engines.

If you're ready to make the commitment to help get your website found and to continue working towards higher rankings, Gráfica-Link have a Search Engine optimisation Plan that will help you do this.

(4) SEO is also your job! 2010

It's important that all website owners understand that, even if we do our very best SEO on your site, your website will not perform as well as it could if you don't do your part as well... SEO is also your job as a client!

there are Search Engines, and there are Directories

There is work to do to get your website listed in these directories. Many directories are dedicated to certain subjects or interests and, as the specialist in your field, we'll need you to find suitable directories for us for review. If we then determine a directory to be a good place to list your website, we'll do the work to help get your rankings up there.

For similar reasons, you should present related websites on which you want your website link to appear. Links from other websites are called "backlinks" or "reciprocal links" and are absolutely crucial to the overall success of your site.

putting all your eggs in one basket

It's worrying to hear of people counting solely on their website to bring in their business. Securing a website and good SEO is a "must do" in today's world, but it's important to understand that this alone is not enough - your business will not grow to it's highest potential if you don't combine your optimised website with some solid marketing techniques.

marketing your web site

Your website does not automatically market or promote you — you must market and promote your website! Aside from the more traditional media, we recommend using social networking websites Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, and can assist you in setting up and maintaining accounts for a more social online presence.

reciprocal links 2010

Search engines make changes to their algorithms and requirements all the time. What's important today may not be important next week, next month or next year. And, of course, each search engine has their own requirements - so, it takes dedicated research and hard work to keep up with the latest effective SEO techniques.

Proper reciprocal linking (also known as "backlinks") will help your search engine rankings. Google, considered the search engine, is therefore the most important search engine to rank well in. So, if you really want to give your site and your business it's best shot at good rankings, you'll do what Google wants! These days, backlinks are very high on Google's list of requirements to rank well.

This doesn't mean you should disregard other popular engines such as Yahoo, Hotbot or MSN because they do have a respectable impact as well. But, Google is where everyone strives to get good placement - it's so big and so popular that people don't "search the Internet" for something… they "Google it!"

One thing that hasn't changed much are good old fashioned backlinks. A backlink is a link to your website that someone has placed on their website — a link on their web site points to yours. It's best that their site content be in the same category or topic as yours. These have always been the best links and normally they happen when you have information on your site that another site likes and is relative so they voluntarily add a link to a page on your site.

If your designer or SEO person tells you that locating directories to list your site in, that finding other sites to link to and from is important… you need to listen. This is not a job for your SEO company, this is best accomplished by the client. Not only do you know your business and products best, but it would cost a great deal for someone to dig up these links for you. Finding respectable reciprocal links is crucial to obtaining good rankings - it's probably one of the most important things you should do for your website, and it's an ongoing task.

SEO checklist December, 2010

Many factors affect the chances of achieving a 'Top 10' page ranking on Google and other top search engines. Certain factors are easier to influence than others, so our SEO service focuses on the areas that can be controlled.

Here are the main factors that affect Google search engine success:

• How many other websites link to your website? (known as 'Link Popularity')
• How important are the websites that link to yours?
• How long has your website existed (does Google consider it a 'trusted' source)?
• How relevant is your website/page to the phrase the user is searching?
• How many other websites are competing for the phrases you wish to be found under?
• Is your page content genuine - is your copy (text) original?
• Is your website built in accordance with Google's guidelines so that all the content can be indexed by their 'spiders'?
• Does your website have HTML navigation so that Google can use it as an index to find all your pages or is the navigation hidden inside a flash movie?
• Does your website use 'frames' that could hinder Google from indexing your web content?
• Does your website use 'tables' in order to format the layout of text and images in which case you could be penalized?
• Is most of your website 'hidden' in a database that cannot be accessed by search engines?
• Do you run an AdWords campaign? This will affect the number of visits Google's spiders make to your website.

If you're ready to make the commitment to help get your website found and to continue working towards higher rankings, Gráfica-Link have a Search Engine optimisation Plan that will help you do this.

website traffic generation and the love of the "Traffic Fairy" Edited from an article by Bill Platt the story, as it is told, is:

"Some folks built a website, the search engines found the website and started showing people the link to it. And then, people using the search engines saw the link and they clicked the link by the thousands. And then, hoards of people came to the website with fists full of money, ready to purchase whatever those folks were selling."

Some people still believe this is how the search engines work. They've built their websites, and are waiting anxiously for the "Traffic Fairy" to sprinkle her magic dust, so that they can sit back and make lots of money.

are YOU still waiting for the Traffic Fairy?

I hope not!

Those who are waiting often do so until they realize they have more money going out than they have coming in - then get irritated that the "Traffic Fairy" did not look favorably on them. So, they stop paying their hosting bill and quit this scam called, "online marketing".

The lifespan of most new websites can generally be measured in the amount of time most people will remain members of a subscription website. In many cases, this is three to four months. Then, they stop paying their web hosting bill and let their websites die.

Those people who prepay one or two years on their web hosting bill typically allow their sites to remain online, but they will abandon the website long before the site itself runs out of life. Most will stick it out for several months, but if they are not yet making money, they will just walk away from their new "online business".

This is why you will find so many article directories where you could submit your finest work, but no one will ever "approve" your article for publication. There may be nothing wrong with your article - the fact is that there's simply no one home to approve it.

the Traffic Fairy smiles on those who take action

In late 1998, Google was a startup website. Larry Page and Sergey Brin - the founders of Google - had a startup website, and they needed people to discover their new business.

In those days, Page and Brin could not simply build their website and "wait" for the Traffic Fairy or Google to find them - they were Google, and no one was using their website.

While building Google in their garage, Page and Brin were doing what you should be doing now. They were getting links wherever they could get links. They were adding their site to directories. They were issuing press releases about their new company. They were trying to get interviews with the press and ordinary webmasters. They were trying to get interviews with newsletter publishers. They were participating in forums and news groups to share their story.

They started their website in September of 1998 and they got their first major press in December of 1998, when they made the top 100 websites of 1998. It took them three months to get their first major press, and they had been actively promoting their website with the gusto of a marching band.

Yet the average new webmaster barely promotes his or her website, and expects to attract thousands of visitors in the same time frame as it took Google to get noticed by the public-at-large...?

to be successful, do what the successful websites have done

Before Google was the powerhouse it is today, its founders had to work tremendously hard to build their business. They had to promote, promote, and promote some more. They had to build links, build links, and build links some more. They needed to entice people to visit and use their website, and they needed to provide a method for people to find them.

The point is that the founders of Google wanted to be acknowledged and linked from every corner of the Internet. They chased links for their website because they knew that people used links to get to a website.

By 2010, Yahoo had credited them with 223,383,603 links to www.google.com and another 6,752,847 links to google.com. This shows that getting links from a variety of resources is the secret to getting traffic to your website. The Traffic Fairy blesses those websites that have a multitude of links to them.

Page and Brin tapped into the basics of building traffic to their website. They made a great website, and they did everything they could do to get traffic to that website.

You should try to emulate them as you build your website and start to promote it. It was the secret to their success, and likewise, it could be the secret to your success.

traffic generation

The easiest and cheapest ways to get links and generate traffic for your website are: article marketing, press releases, forum marketing and social media marketing. But, there are at least three-dozen methods to generate traffic - these are just four of them.

Don't wait for the Traffic Fairy to bless your website. Take massive action now, and make sure that the Traffic Fairy would be a fool to ignore you!