Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for your website

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Meta Keywords Tag

As you already know, the meta keywords tag is not the most influential tag in SEO. But

it won’t harm you to optimize yours. Here’s a quick-and-dirty method that you can use:

• Go to the Keywords Worksheet that you compiled in your Prep Month, and

look through your flagged keywords.

• For each landing page, decide which of the flagged keywords you think are relevant.

Insert them into Meta Keywords Tag column of the Site Optimization Worksheet.

• Add any keywords that didn’t make the flagged list but that you think are appro-

priate and relevant.

• For each landing page, add your company name, location if applicable, and any

common misspellings you can think of.

Don’t overthink it. You’re done.

First Impressions

Have you been wondering how people select which search results to click on—and how to make

yours the one they choose? Search behavior research can help you understand and influence their

click decisions:

•

Research by search marketing firm Enquiro, Inc., on B2B search behavior found that 27 per-

cent of searchers quickly scan the listings looking for words to jump out while 15 percent

read titles and descriptions carefully. But 57 percent start with a quick scan and then read the

listings carefully if nothing jumps out at them first.Most searchers will click on the first

appropriate-looking listing they find. (Source:Enquiro.com)

•

Cornell eye-tracking research shows that searchers spend 30 percent of their time reading the

listing title, 43 percent of the time reading the listing description, and 21 percent of their

time reading the URL.The average total time before a click choice is made is 5.7 seconds.

(Source:Cornell University Computer Science & Human-Computer Interaction)

•

German researchers asked users how they chose what to click on.The winning factor was

clear listing text.That means you should make sure your listings contain readable text, not

keyword-stuffed garble.Other important factors were relevance of the listing to the search

term, a clear and easy-to-understand description of the page content,and the inclusion of

the website’s name. (Source: Fittkau and Maa? on behalf of eProfessional GmbH)

Now:

Compile optimized meta keywords tags for your landing pages and place them in your Site Opti-

mization Worksheet.

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