Avasoft Blog

Moving your website seems like it’s as easy as taking down the old site and setting the new one up at your new address, but it’s not that simple.  One of the main concerns you have is making sure that you keep your search engine rankings and transferring them to your new domain.  In order to make this happen, there are several things you can do to prevent a “File not Found” error from opening when users click on a link that should lead to your site.

1. One of the most common reasons for a site migration is changing the name of your product or brand.  This should be done in two steps.  Start by moving your current site to the new address.  Save the redesign of the site until after you see that it has made a smooth move to the new address.

Having your site indexed is the only way your customers will be able to find you through the search engines. So what does it mean to have your site indexed? It basically means that the major search engines have discovered it and stored a listing of the site’s keywords to use as a reference directory. Google, Yahoo! and the other major search engines all send out their web crawlers on a regular basis to search for new websites that they haven’t found before. These crawlers take note of the keywords that are used on the sites so that they can direct search engine users to places that have information on the topics they are searching.

If your site is very new, then it probably won’t be indexed yet because the search engines simply haven’t found it yet. The search engines have a way of finding your site on their own. You could also choose to take a few minutes and simple report your site to the three top search engines: Google, Yahoo!, and Bing.

Everyone rants and raves over the value of content when working towards the best search engine optimization practices. However, really getting the most out of your site actually depends on much more than that. Search engine optimization also means a website with a good, logical structure. After all, how can your site benefit from visitors if they have a hard time finding what they need to see while they are on it?

Levels Mean Better Search Engine Optimization

The most effective approach to creating a structure that is search engine optimized is to begin with a high level and go down from there. The top most, or highest level should be very broad, covering general topics or categories. This gives visitors an easy way to find a starting point. Not only will human visitors have an easier time navigating your site, but web crawlers will, too. This type of search engine optimization helps ensure all pages are properly indexed.

Search engine optimization is vital to the success of your website. Although there are many different areas that you should consider when working towards better rankings, the URL structure should not be overlooked. You may not realize it, but you could be losing valuable hits all because of the way your URL is spelled out. Make sure you have done all you can to ensure your website gets the most search engine optimization benefits it can.


What Makes a Good URL?

Search engine optimization aside, your URL should be friendly for human readers as well as computer readers. URLs should be structured logically and as simply as possible. It is much easier for human visitors to read and understand your URL and possibly remember it later. Although this can also impact search engine optimization, it is also important for actual visitors.

Social media optimization has become one of the most effective ways to get in front of more potential customers. Businesses who utilize social media optimization, also known as SMO, tend to see success much more quickly in the online arena. There are limitless possibilities just waiting on the web for those who know how to reach them.

SMO Tip 1: Build Your Company’s Social Networking Profiles

Not all advertising requires payment. Make sure your company has profiles on all major social networking websites. That includes Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. These sites build a foundation for your social media optimization efforts. Let your profile provide information and updates on your business.

SMO Tip 2: Keep Updates as Timely as Possible

It may sound like a chore, but keep all of your blogs and social network profiles as up to date as possible. Add fresh content regularly. This is vital for social media optimization because it encourages better search engine ranking and shows those who view your company profile that you are active within the network. Give them content to check out and they will be more inclined to return again and again!

Anyone who performs search engine optimization and/or owns a website should know what the term “canonicalization” means. Believe it or not, this is an actual term created by Google. The easy explanation is that canonicalization is the process of selecting one URL from a group to represent that group. For example, your homepage may have many variations. When Google discovers this, the search engine will select only one and ignore the rest. Google chooses the one it feels is the best representation of the group and the remaining URLs are viewed as duplicates. This can severely impact search engine optimization.

That sounds simple enough. It is understandable that Google would want to choose only one. After all, the results might look a bit strange with many of the same homepage listed with a few variations. However, this can have dire consequences on your search engine optimization efforts.

Search engine optimization is very important for anyone who owns a website and wants to see it thrive. If you want to rank well, you must learn how to play the keyword game while providing quality content. Google is becoming smarter and the old methods are not cutting it anymore. Poor search engine optimization practices are being penalized, which means businesses must stay on top of the best methods or suffer the consequences.

One popular approach to search engine optimization is through the use of sitemaps. A sitemap allows search engines to review all content on a site, including video and images. Ever since the first site maps were used in 2005, website owners have been adding them to improve search engine optimization by sharing details about a greater variety of content offered on their site.

What is a Site Map?

Simply stated, a site map is a list of the available pages on a website. These pages are used by search engine crawlers to gather information about that site. The reason site maps are preferred over traditional methods (such as simply accessing the landing page) is their detail for search engine optimization. The site map can include resources available on the site that the crawler may miss. This is especially important for those who wish to perform search engine optimization on a site that has dynamic content.

Google Places is another popular creation that falls under the Google family of internet based applications. Google Places actually began as the Local Business Center. The change was made to help users connect to Place pages while business owners could get a stronger hold on how they are seen online. The change was a big one and included the addition of numerous features that could help your business reach out to more potential customers.

What Changed with Google Places?

The newest Google Places features could give your business an edge in the local market. The key is knowing what is available to you and how it can improve your brand’s exposure and accessibility with customers. The first improvement involved service areas, which can now be displayed on maps. Any business owner with a specific service area can show this information. This helps reduce the number of cold leads that can generate by directing only potential customers that can actually access your service to your business. This feature is great for any business with a brick and mortar location.

They say a picture speaks a thousand words. Google Places gives businesses a way to say a lot through images. Business photo shoots are available to certain cities. The business can request a photo shoot of the interior of their building. These images are added to the business’ Google Places page. Businesses are also invited to have their own photos taken and submitted to Google Places. You can give potential customers a closer look at your operation and what you have to offer. Let them see your staff and develop a personal attachment through images.

Advertising can be very expensive, so finding affordable ways to spread the word is important. Google Places now offers businesses the opportunity to use tags, Google Maps and other tools that will highlight their Places page. This service costs an affordable $25/month and can easily fit into a start up budget.

Be on top of technology by getting in on Google’s Favorite Places program. Google provides you business with a window decal. This decal includes a code that can be scanned using any smart phone. The customer can scan the code and view the business, Place page to discover more about the business, staff and what products or services are offered.

Can You Afford to Ignore Google Places?

Google Places presents numerous tools that can help your brand gain more exposure. By making your business more accessible to customers, you will be increasing the opportunity for sales and profit. If you haven’t given Google Places a try, now is the time to do so (Avasoft can help you setup and manage your Google Place page and tags). You may be missing an enormous market of new customers just waiting for you to tap in through your own business Place page.

Link building is important and must be considered to get the most out of search engine optimization and social media optimization. Unfortunately, some website owners have taken link building in a negative direction through spam messages and unwanted solicitations. The best approach to creating organic linking is to do so honestly. Search engine optimization should always be performed with the value of the visitor in mind.

Whether you are working towards better social media optimization or simply want to maximize the existing search engine optimization of your website, remember that quality is the key. Always avoid unwanted spam as a way of promoting your site. Instead, get involved with communities related to your service, product, or cause. That means supplying information and making blog and forum posts that are informative and spread knowledge.

A second approach to improving search engine optimization with linking is to focus on the content offered by your site. Consider adding helpful tutorials, articles, or other content that readers will find helpful or valuable in some way. This content should pertain to your site’s topic to make fitting in the appropriate keywords for search engine optimization easy. By taking this natural approach to back linking, you can please both the web crawlers and the real live visitors that stop by.

Google Caffeine is raising a few questions among professionals regarding search engine optimization and social media marketing. In order to understand how these changes will impact your web hosting company or other business, it is important to know what Google Caffeine is and how it influences search results and ranking.

Google Caffeine is the name given to a recent update made to the Google infrastructure. Labeled a “next generation architecture,” the update directly altered Google’s search function. With new digital media, including blogs, videos, and social media, Google felt it was time they updated their web search to accommodate these newcomers to the virtual world.

The first aspect of Google Caffeine was to equip the web search to store real time content. Speculation remains that when Google updated the way it stores data, it must also update the way it collects it.  Although no details on exactly how this aspect was changed have been given, it is safe to say something was done and will be revealed in time.