March 23,
2005
In
This Issue:
1. The Fine Line of SEO
2. In the News - Moll interview, Local PPC, MSN adCenter
3. More News Headlines
4. This Week's Q&A - GIF vs JPG
5. Wrapping It Up
_________________
The Fine Line of SEO
We are in the middle of what will be a major overhaul for one
of our oldest clients. We're updating almost everything: site design,
navigation, functionality, etc. This client is in an industry that
has heavy competition for search engine visibility. During a meeting
a couple months ago, we agreed on a few new ideas to regain the
site's previously high rankings -- particularly in Google. Specifically,
one idea was to develop some new content pages that the site doesn't
really need; they'd be pages that users would find informative,
but unnecessary.
Then a strange thing happened: The existing site regained its
high rankings during the most recent Google update (which is possibly
still going on). Let me make that clear: We didn't do anything,
yet suddenly a site that hasn't really been "optimized" in
about 2-3 years is once again ranking very well in Google (and
Yahoo, for that matter, but this is about Google).
What happened? I sure don't know, but I have some theories.
I think Google suddenly likes this site again specifically because
it doesn't have a lot of the current elements of search engine
optimization -- the text isn't too heavy with keywords; there's
been no unnatural link building campaign; the inbound links
the site has don't all have the same anchor text; and so on.
Google has been on a mission for some time now to limit "spam" in
the SERPs. They don't like people trying to manipulate the SERPs
to get questionable sites ranked highly. Of course, some sites
that don't belong in the Top 10-20 are still there. Google will
never solve this problem; no search engine will. But I think Google
has become much more adept at separating the wheat from the chaff.
So if a site that hasn't been optimized in a couple years can
rank well, am I suggesting that search engine optimization
is something
to avoid? Quite the contrary. No. There will always be a
need for web sites that are built to be both user-friendly and
search
engine-friendly.
But I do think the definition of search engine-friendly
design is something that always changes. And now it seems the
real skill will be to build sites that rank well without trying
too hard
-- in other words, to optimize for search engine visibility
without going too far. You have to walk that fine line
more
carefully
now
than ever before.
This is, admittedly, just one recent example. But it's something
we'll be keeping an eye on -- specifically in these competitive
industries where spam is a bigger problem in the SERPs.
_________________
In The News
Cameron Moll interview
Cameron Moll is recognized as one of the top web designers around,
so I'm guessing some of you in the web design industry already
know his name. If you don't, you probably should. Digital Web magazine
recently posted a brief interview with Cameron about, of course,
web design. Nothing earth-shattering, but a good overall read.
I particularly appreciate his definition of a successful home page
as "anything that accomplishes the site's objectives and goals." Good
answer -- it's imperative to remember that success is defined differently
with every project we do.
Digital Web Magazine: Cameron Moll
A Local Search Convert
Clickz.com had a good article Monday about one small business's
success with using Google AdWords and Overture to target
local searchers. Your mileage may vary, of course, but it makes
a
good case for including paid advertising as part of your
overall search
marketing efforts.
Clickz.com - Local Search: Convert and Win
MSN's adCenter
We mentioned MSN's new paid advertising system briefly last
week -- it's called adCenter, and according to some
recent reports,
it will offer some nice data measuring tools that neither
Google nor Overture offer, such as the ability to measure
your ad's
success based on the searcher's gender, age, etc. You
can't target your
ads in such detail, but you'll be able to see your
ads success based on those factors. Search Engine Lowdown has an
overview
and screenshots.
Search Engine Lowdown: First Screenshots of MSN adCenter
_________________
More News Headlines
Here are a few news headlines worth your time to read.
These are just some of the headlines we've posted
to OWTweb.com in recent
days.
Firefox snags market share from MSN
March 21, 2005 - MediaPost
MSN vs. Google: Major effort not yet turning tide
March 21, 2005 - MSNBC
NetRatings data for February, the first full month since the
Microsoft initiatives took hold, show that no dramatic upsurge
in MSN Search
performance has materialized to date.
MSN's adCenter: More control and better results
March 18, 2005 - ClickZ.com
The new platform will provide all the control of Google AdWords,
plus some very useful targeting options that will place
MSN in the forefront of PPC search advertising.
More headlines: http://www.owtweb.com/news/
_________________
This Week's Q&A
Matt,
I'm new to your newsletter and to web design. I have a question
about graphics. This is probably obvious, but what's the difference
between a GIF image and a JPG? Does it matter which one I use
on the web site?
Ron
Hi Ron --
Welcome, and thanks for the question. Whether you think it's
obvious or not, don't hesitate to email questions!
It does matter which format you use. Each is best for certain
types of images. The GIF format supports a 256-color palette.
JPG supports
16 million colors.
When dealing with photos, whether they're digital pictures
or scanned prints -- those should always be saved and used
on the
web as JPGs.
The GIF format, on the other hand, is appropriate for things
like logos and basic art elements -- anything that has a limited
color
range. If you look at owtweb.com, for example -- those are
all GIFs you see: the OWT logo in the upper right, the blue
globe
background below the text, the gray "newscenter" graphic, etc.
(Have a question? Email questions@owtweb.com)
_________________
Wrapping it Up
There will be no newsletter next week since I'll be out of the
office. The next issue should be in your mailbox on or about April
6th, though my first week back after vacation is quite often a
difficult week.
Thanks for reading,
Matt McGee
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