www.it-ebooks.info 75002ffirs.qxd:Layout 1 11/7/07 8:59 AM Page i SEO Search Engine Optimization Bible Jerri L. Ledford Wiley Publishing, Inc. www.it-ebooks.info 75002ffirs.qxd:Layout 1 11/7/07 8:59 AM Page vi www.it-ebooks.info 75002ffirs.qxd:Layout 1 11/7/07 8:59 AM Page i SEO Search Engine Optimization Bible Jerri L. Ledford Wiley Publishing, Inc. www.it-ebooks.info 75002ffirs.qxd:Layout 1 11/7/07 8:59 AM Page ii 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. 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Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. www.it-ebooks.info 75002ffirs.qxd:Layout 1 11/7/07 8:59 AM Page iii 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 www.it-ebooks.info 75002ffirs.qxd:Layout 1 11/7/07 8:59 AM Page iv 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. iv www.it-ebooks.info 75002ffirs.qxd:Layout 1 11/7/07 1:57 PM Page v 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 v www.it-ebooks.info 75002ffirs.qxd:Layout 1 11/7/07 8:59 AM Page vi 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 vi www.it-ebooks.info 75002ftoc.qxd:Layout 1 11/7/07 1:59 PM Page vii 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 vii www.it-ebooks.info