GravityStream Does Local SEO: Now Fixes Store Locator Pages
I’m pleased to announce that GravityStream can now optimize store locator pages for those retailer sites which provide search utilities for their local outlets.
As you may recall, I’ve written before about how dealer locators are terribly optimized and how store locator pages can be optimized. A great many store locator sections of major corporate sites are not allowing search engine spiders to properly crawl through and index all the locations where they may have brick-and-mortar outlets.
Most large companies seem fairly unaware that their store locators are effectively blocking search engine spiders and are making it impossible for endusers to find their locations through simple keyword searches. I’ve also listed out a number of top store locator providers which produce locational services like this for many Internet Retailer 500 companies.
Read on for details on our results…
Popularity: 23% [?]
Posted by Chris Silver Smith of Netconcepts on 01/08/2008 | Permalink | 
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Filed under: Content Optimization, Local Search, Local Search Optimization, SEO, Search Engine Optimization, Site Structure, ToolsAutomatic-SEO, dealer-locators, Search Engine Optimization, SEO, store-locators
Advice on Subdomains vs. Subdirectories for SEO
Matt Cutts recently revealed that Google is now treating subdomains much more like subdirectories of a domain — in the sense that they wish to limit how many results show up for a given keyword search from a single site. In the past, some search marketers attempted to use keyworded subdomains as a method for improving search referral traffic from search engines — deploying out many keyword subdomains for terms for which they hoped to rank well.
Not long ago, I wrote an article on how some local directory sites were using subdomains in an attempt to achieve good ranking results in search engines. In that article, I concluded that most of these sites were ranking well for other reasons not directly related to the presence of the keyword as a subdomain — I showed some examples of sites which ranked equally well or better in many cases where the keyword was a part of the URI as opposed to the subdomain. So, in Google, subdirectories were already functioning just as well as subdomains for the purposes of keyword rank optimization. (more…)
Popularity: 29% [?]
Posted by Chris Silver Smith of Netconcepts on 12/12/2007 | Permalink | Email
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Filed under: Best Practices, Content Optimization, Domain Names, Dynamic Sites, Google, SEO, Search Engine Optimization, Site Structure, URLs, Worst PracticesDomain Names, Google, host crowding, language seo, Search Engine Optimization, SEO, seo subdirectories, subdomain seo, subdomains
Dealer Locator & Store Locator Services Need to Optimize
My article on local SEO for store locators just published on Search Engine Land, and any company that has a store locator utility ought to read it. Many large companies provide a way for users to find their local stores, dealers, or authorized resellers. The problem is that these sections are usually hidden from the search engines behind search submission forms, javascripted links, html frames, and Flash interfaces.
For many national or regional chain stores, providing dealer-locator services with robust maps, driving directions and proximity search capability is outside of their core competencies, and they frequently choose to outsource that development work or purchase software to enable the service easily.
I did a quick survey and found a number of companies providing dealer locator or store finder functionality: (more…)
Popularity: 12% [?]
Posted by Chris Silver Smith of Netconcepts on 09/13/2007 | Permalink | Email
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Filed under: Best Practices, Content Optimization, Dynamic Sites, Local Search Optimization, Maps, SEO, Search Engine Optimization, Site Structurechain-stores, dealer-locators, Local Search Optimization, local-SEO, store-location-software, store-locators
Double Your Trouble: Google Highlights Duplication Issues
Maile Ohye posted a great piece on Google Webmaster Central on the effects of duplicate content as caused by common URL parameters. There is great information in that post, not least of which it validates exactly what a few of us have stated for a while: duplication should be addressed because it can water down your PageRank.
Maile suggests a few ways of addressing dupe content, and she also reveals a few details of Google’s workings that are interesting, including: (more…)
Popularity: 11% [?]
Posted by Chris Silver Smith of Netconcepts on 09/12/2007 | Permalink | Email
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Filed under: Best Practices, Dynamic Sites, Google, PageRank, SEO, Search Engine Optimization, Site Structure, URLsCanonicalization, duplicate-content, duplication, Google, Search Engine Optimization, SEO
Automatic Search Engine Optimization through GravityStream
I’ve had a lot of questions about my new work since I joined Netconcepts a little over three months ago as their Lead Strategist for their GravityStream product/service. My primary role is to bring SEO guidance to clients using GravityStream, and to provide thought leadership to the ongoing development of the product and business.
GravityStream is a technical solution that provides outsourced search optimization to large, dynamic websites. Automatic SEO, if you will. Here’s what it does…
Popularity: 7% [?]
Posted by Chris Silver Smith of Netconcepts on 07/17/2007 | Permalink | Email
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Filed under: Content Optimization, Dynamic Sites, HTML Optimization, SEO, Search Engine Optimization, Site Structure, ToolsAutomatic-Search-Engine-Optimization, GravityStream, Netconcepts, Outsourced-Search-Engine-Optimization, Search Engine Optimization, SEO
Subdomains for Local Directory Sites?
Earlier this week, my column on “Domaining & Subdomaining in the Local Space - Part 1” went live at Search Engine Land. In it, I examine how a number of local business directory sites are using subdomains with the apparent desire to get extra keyword ranking value from them. Typically, they will pass the names of cities in the third-level-domain names (aka “subdomains”). Some sites doing that include:
- CitySearch
- Craigslist
- Local.com
In that installment, I conclude that the subdomaining for the sake of keyword ranking has no real benefit.
This assertion really can be extended out to all other types of sites as well, since the ranking criteria that the search engines use is not limited to only local info sites. Keywords in subdomains really have no major benefit.
SEO firms used to suggest that people deploy their content out onto “microsites” for all their keywords - a different domain name to target each one. This just isn’t a good strategy, really. Focus on improving the quality of content for each keyword, founded on its own page, and work on your link-building efforts (quality link-building, not unqualified bad-quality links). Tons of keyword domains or subdomains is no quick solution for ranking well.
Popularity: 11% [?]
Posted by Chris Silver Smith of Netconcepts on 04/26/2007 | Permalink | Email
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Filed under: Local Search Optimization, SEO, Search Engine Optimization, Site Structure, URLsDomain Names, Local Search Optimization, local-search-engine-optimization, local-SEO, SEO, subdomaining, subdomains
Podcasts of Neil Patel, Eric Ward, and Vanessa Fox
I’ve been interviewing speakers of the AMA’s Hot Topic: Search Engine Marketing events taking place April 20th in San Francisco, May 25th in NYC, and June 22 in Chicago (all three of which I will be chairing). I had fascinating and insightful conversations with link builder extraordinaire Eric Ward, Googler Vanessa Fox, and social media marketing guru Neil Patel. There’s some real gold in those interviews.
Download/Listen:
- Neil Patel interview (15 minute MP3, 3 megs) - getting to the front page of Digg and other social media sites
- Eric Ward interview (36 minute MP3, 8 megs) - tips and secrets on how to garner links
- Vanessa Fox interview (40 minute MP3, 9 megs) - Google’s webmaster tools, SEO impacts of AJAX, Flash, duplicate content, redirects, etc.
More podcasts to come from other speakers, so be sure to subscribe to the RSS feed so you don’t miss them. Also be sure to register for the conference at one of the three cities, it’ll be great!
Popularity: 10% [?]
Posted by Stephan Spencer of Netconcepts on 03/28/2007 | Permalink | Email
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Filed under: Google, Link Building, SEO, Site Structure, Social Media Optimizationdigg, Google, Link Building, link-baiting, podcasts, Social Media Optimization, social-media-marketing, Webmaster-Central
Dupe Content Penalty a Myth, but Negative Effects Are Not
I was interested to read a column by Jill Whalen this past week on “The Duplicate Content Penalty Myth” at Search Engine Land. While I agree with her assessment that there really isn’t a Duplicate Content Penalty per se, I think she perhaps failed to address one major issue affecting websites in relation to this.
Read on to see what I mean.
Popularity: 9% [?]
Posted by Chris Silver Smith of Netconcepts on 03/18/2007 | Permalink | Email
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Filed under: Best Practices, Content Optimization, SEO, Search Engine Optimization, Site Structure, Spiders, URLsduplicate-content, Duplicate-Content-Penalization, Jill-Whalen, Search Engine Optimization, SEO, URL-Optimization
In other news, a new free Clinic
Search Engine Journal today opened free SEO Clinic for sites in need of optimization or with specific challenges that have not been overcome.
A group of leading SEOs including Carsten Cumbrowski, Ahmed Bilal, and Rhea Drysdale will review one submission per week delivering a thorough review of usability and site navigation, link building, and copywriting from the perspective of placement in the four leading engines (Google, Yahoo!, MSN and Ask).
It’s clear though that “free” is as free as having your site criticized in one of the SEO clinics experts like to host at conferences. If chosen for review, the findings and recommendations will be posted for others to peruse. I’d do as much myself and appreciate their efforts to help others with these case studies but as a website owner, someone responsible for SEO, or marketing manager for a major brand, I might not be so inclined to have my successes and failures outlined in detail for everyone to see. That concern aside, I do hope they get some quality sites and develop a thorough library of reviews (perhaps I’ll sign up myself!).
To participate, simply contact the team here.
Popularity: 9% [?]
Posted by Paul O'Brien of seobrien.com on 02/27/2007 | Permalink | Email
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Filed under: Content Optimization, General, HTML Optimization, Link Building, PageRank, SEO, Search Engine Optimization, Site Structure, Spidershelp, optimization, review, Search Engine Optimization, SEO, SEO-consulting, SEO-critiques, website-design
To Use Sitemaps, or Not To Use Sitemaps, That’s the Question
It was really great when Google launched its Sitemaps (recently renamed to Webmaster Tools, as part of their Webmaster Central utilities) - when that happened it was a really great indication of a new time where technicians who wished to help make their pages findable would not automatically be considered “evil” and the SEs might provide tools to help technicians disclose their pages directly. Yahoo soon followed with their own tools, named Yahoo! Site Explorer, and surely MSN will bow to peer pressure with their own submission system and tools.
Initially, I thought that there wasn’t significant advantage to me for using these systems, because I’d already developed good methods for providing our page links to the search engines through the natural linking found in our site navigation systems.
Why should I expend yet more time and resources to dynamically produce the link files?
Popularity: 8% [?]
Posted by Chris Silver Smith of Netconcepts on 09/19/2006 | Permalink | Email
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