Tips for your online pearl business

[morphius]

SEO is a tedious and very difficult process and there really is no quick fix. There are a lot of companies overseas that offer inexpensive services, but most use techniques that can get your site blacklisted (no matter what they claim). The firms that do it right are very expensive. You can do it on your own if you get a real handle on titles, tags, style sheets, keywords and keyword density, but even that is just the beginning.

Amazon's fulfillment services aren't a bad way to go. If you use their services, your products will be eligible for Amazon Prime, which will increase your exposure and help you sell more. Amazon does take a hefty cut though. Also, getting on with Amazon as a gold seller isn't the easiest thing to do, and the spreadsheets ... it took us a couple of weeks with an Excel professional to get up and running with them.

Just to add to what Mr. Shepherd said, there are no quick fixes to SEO and SEM. Until recently, I was the Director of IT Services at multi-million dollar-a-year company with a departmental budget of $750,000, for the last 5 years.

For a business just starting out, I would not recommend using any company that promoted any guarantee of getting your business to the top of the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages). In the early days of the internet, promoting your site and getting it to rank was dead-easy because everyone was still learning how the internet should function. Today however, the internet is very much user driven...meaning that Search Engines (like Google) pay close attention to what the average person expects to experience...and the search engines have responded during the last two-years with multiple upgrades that have been a benefit to many sites, but killed many more (blacklisted).

The best approach to getting your website to rank well (in the beginning), is to not worry about ranking at all. Write the content of each page as if it were a conversation you were having with a person right in front of you. From that point, you would make slight refinements to the content until it's perfect. Well written, original content, that serves a purpose to the people visiting the page will always continue to rank higher and higher over time. I would suggest starting out by visiting the Google, Bing and Yahoo web developer pages as they all very specifically list the types of things to avoid when building your website. Once you have well written, original content on your site, you would then move forward to SEM (online advertising).

There are some key differences though between an informative site and a commerce site which also plays an important role in natural ranking, but I don't want to get into that presently as I might derail this thread.

If there is interest on Pearl-Guide, I'd be more than happy to share my more than 12 years of IT experience in a new thread titled as such - or anyone is welcome to msg me.

 

[Caitlin]

Tips for your online pearl business

This thread is for the wonderful techies who want to share online business tips!

 

[morphius]

This thread is for the wonderful techies who want to share online business tips!

Many thanks Caitlin - the vote of confidence is very much appreciated and hopefully no one will be disappointed.

 

[Caitlin]

Well I just started a wordpress blog for my doggie passion, the deer type Chihuahuas that are not AKC listed. I am trying to learn to control my pages, better, so I am interested in what you say- even if it is about pearls.

 

[pattye]

Caitlin, Could you please move Sarah's response over here also? Great topic!

 

[morphius]

The Absolute Basics of SEO

The Absolute Basics of SEO

(Just to prevent any confusion - I'll attempt to limit my posts in this thread to small manageable chunks, without getting too deep too quickly. This may mean that I will leave out information from some posts purely to talk about it in another, but in more detail)

Like so many things out on the internet, there is good information which leads you in the right direction...and then there is a ton of garbage which leads you into 50 different directions and gets you no where fast, except to confusion-ville and frustration-ville.

In truth, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), is a term that realistically no longer applies to the current evolution of the internet, because the term itself actually encompasses much more than just thinking about the search engines. A more accurate term would be User Experience & Internet Optimization (UEIO)...and I'll briefly explain why.

There are four basic parts to SEO (Search Engine Optimization);

1) Coding - this is the coding that sits in the background of your website, controlling how it looks and behaves. It refers to designing each webpage so that the coding occurs in a logical order, is kept to a minimum, is current and up-to-date, and does not do anything that is considered "shady". Coding that follows these guidelines is said to be easy for search engines to find and index (log and categorize) your site...and is therefore "optimized".

2) Layout - layout specifically refers to how each page appears to your visitors; the exact location of content (text), images, links and advertising (if applicable) in relation to the web page, and in relation to the purpose of the entire website. An overly busy 'every inch of space on the screen is jammed full of something' web page is irritating to most visitors because there's too much distraction and can negatively impact your website.

3) Content - this can include text, images, videos, blogs, tweets, links and forums...basically whatever medium that is used specifically to communicate information to the person visiting the web page with regards to how original or how common the content is that appears on each page. Content that is repetitive, unoriginal, misleading or that does not actually serve any useful purpose will negatively impact your website.

4) Usability - refers to how easy or difficult it is for a visitor to find their way around your website. The best idea to keep in mind is the 'rule of 3' - your visitors should be able to get to just about any page within 3 clicks on the mouse. Links that lead visitors in circles, requiring visitors to click past endless pages of advertising, or too many pages to click through, will negatively impact your website.

I'll stop here because I don't want to make this post any longer, and the above information is as generic as I can make it...but as you can see, SEO today is more about your visitors then it is specifically about the search engines. That said, the more useful your visitors find your website, the better you will rank in the search engines naturally.

 

[morphius]

The Absolute Basics of SEO - Coding

The Absolute Basics of SEO - Coding

Okay so first of all, I am not going to get into 'how to code a webpage', because seriously, unless you're a web designer, we would need a lot more time a space.

So this post is designed for people who get someone else to build all or part of their website for them. It is meant to give you knowledge about important key areas of the coding that should not be missed in order to optimize your web pages for search engines.

Within most browsers, if you right click on the empty space of a web page, you'll have the option to "view page source"...allowing you to see some of the coding being used on the page itself...and there is a couple of important lines of code for you to be aware...as these assist search engines in being able to categorize your web pages better.

1) <title> </title> - this line of code is responsible for the text that appears within the "tab" of the webpage, and it is considered to be that actual title of the page itself. Therefore, each page of your website should have its own unique title AND be as specific as possible to the content that will appear on the page.

2) <meta name="keywords" > - this line of code should contain the main 5-10 words most (or set of words) that are most closely related to the content on the page. In the past, search engines placed great importance on this line of code, but today it simply assists the search engines (when filled out properly).

3) <meta name="description" > - this will contain a very brief overview description of what this specific page is about (in about 25 words or less). The description within this line of code will most commonly appear on the SERPs when you webpage is listed. Again, in the past, search engines placed great importance on this line of code, but today it simply assists the search engines (when filled out properly).

4) <a href=" " title=" " alt=" "> - this line of code is referred to as a "link tag"...because when clicked, it links the visitor to a different page. Within the link tag, you have a "title" and an "alt" attribute (or component). The "title" attribute is what causes text to popup on the screen when you hover your mouse over it - and should literally be the name of the object if you want popup text to appear. The "alt" attribute refers to "alternate" - in other words - if for some reason, your Home Page button does not appear, text will appear instead that reads "Home" (for example), rather than just a blank space. Thus the "alt" attribute should contain the text you want to appear in the event that something goes wrong.

Example: <a href="http://www.home-page.html" title="Go to Home Page" alt="Home" >

5) <img=" " title=" " alt=" "> - this line of code is referred to as a "image tag"...because it is used to display images on your webpages. Like the link tag, the image tag also has "title" and "alt" attributes...which in fact, perform the exact same function as they do in the link tag. For this reason, the "title" and "alt" should be specifically related the to image in question. However, because search engines cannot yet see what an image actually looks like, the "alt" attribute also allows search engines to properly categorize and index the images on your site. Only use the "title" attribute if you want text to popup.

Example: <img="3-white-kittens.jpg" title=" " alt="my 3 white kittens" >

I'll stop here as this does cover some of the basics...and any reputable web designer knows these things already - but it is good for you to know at least these couple of items so that you can not only ask, but ensure they are being used. Properly using these areas of coding make it easy for search engines to find and index your website, ensuring the best possible natural ranking (based upon coding).

 

[morphius]

The Absolute Basics of SEO - Links

The Absolute Basics of SEO - Links

Links on a website, whether you refer to internal links or external links, are one of the more commonly abused and misused SEO tactics still in use today.

1) Internal Links take the customer from one of your websites pages to another of your website pages. The purpose is to help the visitor move through your website and find what they are looking for. Some however view internal links as a potential way to achieve better SERP ranking, and overuse or misuse them.

Overuse Example: your website sells movies - on the left side of the page, you list movie category links (such as Drama, Action, Horror), which take the visitor to that specific section of your website...makes sense. But then you also display the exact same links at the bottom of the page. There is no purpose to displaying the exact same link on the exact same page more than once. It is duplication, and the search engines may view this as something negative.

Misuse Example: your website sells movies - you sell nothing else except for movies - on the left side of the page, you list movie category links (such as Drama, Action, Horror), which take the visitor to that specific section of your website...except that you decide to add the word "Movies" as part of each link (Drama Movies, Action Movies, Horror Movies, etc). If you only sell movies, then there is no need to add the word "movies" into each link...it could also be viewed as duplication or keyword stuffing by the search engines.

2) External Links that take the visitor to a different website. The purpose of using external links is to provide visitors with additional resources which should be directly related to the reason why they visited your website. For instance, if your website sells movies, then perhaps you have a link to a website where visitor's can browse websites of their favorite actors.

But having links to other sites purely for the purpose of sending traffic to that website (link sharing) doesn't do anything for you. In fact, if you link to multiple websites that also link back to yours, it could appear to search engines that you are participating in a "link farm"...which could negatively impact your ranking.

Always exercise caution when providing or listing links to other websites because you have no control over what occurs there. If the website owner decides to begin spamming visitors, selling questionable items, or is identified as a shady or risky website, that you are linking to them could negatively impact your site.

 

[Amrita]

What a great thread! Thanks so much for generously sharing your knowledge.

 

[kojimapearl]

Aghghgh .. the dreaded right click! I already learned something
Morphius.. Thank you for posting this in digestable bits!
Would it be considered "negative" for the content (text mostly) to appear on other people's websites? I have in the past allowed fellow on line retailers to use some of the text for their own sites. (mostly from the "about the pearls" pages)
Sorry if it's a silly question.. but if my content is original.. and then reappears on other sites.. would that have a negative effect?
Another side wind.. is photos.. are those logged in the same way as text, in the on line pearl business there has been many many instances of spammy sort of businesses copying and pasting images from real shops into their own websites.

 

[jshepherd]

It's not the best thing. It's known as duplicate content.

The search engines are in the business of providing the best, most relevant search results. So the engines are not likely to show multiple pages that have the same content. What they will most often do it "decide" which page is the originator and show this content. So in a way, the sites that don't return in the SERPS are being penalized for it.

 

[kojimapearl]

Great thanks Jeremy, I will ask people to change it to their own words in the future. Does that go for photos too? I know you have had big problems with that in the past?

 

[jshepherd]

Even changing it into their own words doesn't mean for certain that it won't get flagged. One thing I usually recommend people do when writing pearl content, for example, is to read the information from a source like a book or a Website and then close it. Once the information is in their head, sit down and write out their own content. This way the information will be very similar, but the writing will be completely unique. Pictures aren't as big an issue, and it is easy to change file names and resize.

I'd say one of the most common mistakes I've seen on new pearl Websites is copied content. The old adage, cheaters never prosper holds true. The Websites will never rank well in the engines, and if your site doesn't rank, you get little to no free traffic - and traffic is very expensive.

 

[morphius]

Jeremy could not have said it better regarding duplicate or similar content - the writing must be unique - simply changing a few words around will most likely still get flagged as duplicated content, and that will hurt your website SERP.

As for photos, search engines are moving in that direction. At the present time, the ability for search engines to exactly identify duplicate images is in development...but they are moving in that direction and will be there soon. So like written content, it is better to have your own unique images.

That said, keep in mind that with business websites, there will always be some duplication to a reasonable extent. For instance, if you are selling a pearl necklace that is Mikmoto brand (because they have permitted you to sell their product), you will most likely use an image provided by them - it is possible that you will not be permitted to sell the product unless you use their image (because it is their brand and they have invested a lot into proper images). It is possible that others are also selling the same necklace and using the same photo. Or if you have provided a chart of the grading system used by the JPEA or the GIE Perles de Tahiti.

But this is the extent that the duplicate content should be limited to...whenever possible, all the content on your site should be completely your own content.

 

[Caitlin]

I like that question. I am excited about this thread.

 

[morphius]

The Absolute Basics of SEO - "Secrets Exposed"

The Absolute Basics of SEO - "Secrets Exposed"

I've decided to include the item regarding "SEO Secrets" because, in my experience, most "SEO secrets" are nothing more than various tactics designed to get you to buy a book which is filled within information that for the most part, you could have found yourself online for free.

I certainly do not consider myself an "expert" in SEO, SEM, or in IT, but I am willing to share my knowledge and 12 years of experiences with the community and openly invite anyone to question or contradict any statements I make - I am not perfect, and technology changes daily.

That said, consider the current focus of the major search engines (Google, Bing & Yahoo). These three search engines are used by more people around the world, than any other search engine. And each of the 'Big 3' openly admit that their continued aim and goal is to bring their users better and more relevant search engine page results (SERPs).

Yes it is true, that the 'Big 3' will not reveal how their search programs workout which page or site should rank in what order, but they are also not secretive about what web designers and web owners should do in order to achieve the best overall ranking. In fact, the 'Big 3' each openly provide FREE information designed specifically to guide web designers and owners.

Here is Google's "Best practices to help Google find, crawl, and index your site"

The reason the Big 3 are not secretive about what you should and should not do with your website, is because it helps them to achieve more relevant SERPs when someone searches for something. So it is in their best interests to provide you with this information.

SEM (Search Engine Marketing), on the other hand is a completely different ball of wax and there are many different approaches to it...but there are no "big secrets" to SEO;
- proper coding design
- proper use of tags
- original, informative, authoritative content
- functional layout
- serves an actual purpose

That said, once all the basics have been followed, there are some improvements that can be made. A professional business or media writer may be able to create content that draws more traffic to your site naturally. A professional graphic artist/designer may be able to create a better look-and-feel. A professional web developer may be able to create a more intuitive and more user-friendly site...I could go on...but these things would all be after the basics were completed (unless you have a lot of money to throw at it from the start).

 

[morphius]

The Absolute Basics of SEO - "Secrets Exposed" - Part 2

The Absolute Basics of SEO - "Secrets Exposed" - Part 2

Just so this point isn't mistaken - I am not against anyone going out and picking up a couple of SEO books from your local bookstore (or online - lol). In fact I own several myself and have read them cover to cover (including several SEM and AdWord books).

The problem however that I have found when it comes to such literature, is that you don't know who's selling magic beans. Worse still is that when you're just starting out and simply don't know, you're not able to identify whether the pearls of wisdom handed to you are genuine of fake (no pun intended).

Take for instance the recent major search engine shake up that occurred this time last year (March 2011), that many refer to as the "Panda Update". The major search engines begin releasing upgrades to their algorithms that were designed to better refine SERPs and give websites with original, well-written and authoritative content higher rankings. Unfortuneately for some content websites, like Suite101.com (who before these updates were getting over 2 million page visits a month), after the updates had lost over 80% of their traffic. They were not the only ones either, Hub Pages, Demand Studio, eHow and several other large content provider websites all took massive losses to their visitor traffic after the search engine updates.

Had the search engines made a mistake? These sites belong to companies making millions of dollars a year in revenues...how could this happen? Are the search engines trying to create virtual monopolies?

To the last question...perhaps...but "no", no mistake had occurred...at least not by the search engines. The mistakes were made by these websites - and believe it or not, each had several "SEO Guru's" on staff and provided their writers with the "Secrets to Awesome SEO". Suite101.com was no different.

According to the Suite101 staff (who boasted no less than 3 SEO Experts and 1 SEM expert), the secret to killer SEO was...
- write content based upon the "ad click" value of short & long-tailed keywords.
- use 4-5 keywords per page
- keep keyword density below 5% of the content, but above 2%.
- break content up into 100-150 word paragraphs
- separate each paragraph with a bold sub-heading
- keep total length of content to no less than 400 words, but no more than 1,000 words.
- where possible, write 4-5 articles about the exact same specific subject (or sub-subject) and refer each article to each other creating a web of inter-connected article pages.
- where possible, promote you article pages on as many social media sites as possible and get as many as possible to post links on their sites to your article pages
- and more...

These were their "SEO Secrets"...and it worked for a couple of years. Writers were making upwards of $5,000 USD a month spending only a couple of hours a day writing. The company was even featured in several business magazines for their success and boasts about their informational and online resource value to people looking for original, authoritative content. But these were not actually secrets...they were a combination of loopholes discovered with the search engines functionality that they were exploiting.

And when the search engines closed up these loopholes, these company websites tanked. Writers went from earning $2,000 - $5,000 each month to earning a couple hundred, then to less than a hundred...and after a year since the search engines closed up these loopholes, Suite101 and several of the other like sites are still struggling to recover (mostly by trying to discover the next useable "secrets").

Bottom line is this - if you send an email to Google, Bing or Yahoo, and tell them that you know an SEO Expert who is guaranteeing top-page ranking, you'll get a reply telling you to be very cautious about using such a person OR their recommendations. All the major search engines (within their webmaster guidelines pages), state very clearly that "no one can guarantee page or site ranking" and still be following good website design practices.

 

[Caitlin]

Thanks for this post. I am learning from you and appreciate it. I am just starting a blog about my favorite doggies, the big Chihuahuas, which I call Techichis and just learning how to manage WordPress. I hope my old/new name for these doggies will catch on and I want it to become a popular site.

I was very intimidated by all the SEO requirements, like the ones in your most recent post. I am thinking I should just go on writing good and interesting content. At least it is interesting to me. I find most doggie people do not care how dogs became dogs or why my little old fashioned, nay, ancient breed, came about, but I want to start a club or registry for these little guys, they are very popular, but completely unorganized as a 'breed'.

I am so starting from scratch. I don't think I will turn commercial, so maybe my needs are different? I have only a few pages, so far, so perhaps I can get them as good as possible before I add a whole bunch more. Maybe I should interlink my own articles, because the blog goes backwards when people read it and my earlier stuff is last.

I am willing to be a public example and be 'criticized' publicly- heaven knows how much 'crow' I have eaten on just this site, so I can take it. Perhaps some people with actual pearl sites will also join in this thread with questions. I do usually like to write in short paragraphs, but not put a heading on each one, but a cute photo every 4-5 paragraphs, in some posts. Others are all words.

to all readers who click through to my blog to check it out, report back here. Also I would SO LOVE it if you subscribe, even if you don't read it. I need to start building subscribers and I don't know how, except to ask friends to help me out.

 

[lisa c]

Hi Caitlin! How do we get to your blog to sign up?

 

[morphius]

Would it be considered "negative" for the content (text mostly) to appear on other people's websites? I have in the past allowed fellow on line retailers to use some of the text for their own sites. (mostly from the "about the pearls" pages)
Sorry if it's a silly question.. but if my content is original.. and then reappears on other sites.. would that have a negative effect?

Just to directly answer this question in a little bit more detail.

There's absolutely nothing negative with other websites posting excerpts from your site (such as what is done in many news and informational articles). However, the amount that can be "copied" needs to be monitored carefully.

As a general "rule of thumb" (I hate using that grotesque dark ages phrase), exact copies of text content from your website should be limited to no more than 50-75 words...at the most..and should include explicit credit/reference to your site as well as a link to the page the content originates.