SEO-Title and Meta Description Tag Optimization

Title Tag and Meta Tags are the author-generated source codes that are positioned in the segment of your HTML document. Apart from the Title Tag, other information inserted is not visible to the person surfing your web page, but is visible only to the search engine crawlers. Title and Meta Description Tags are especially important as they can be used to influence the ranking of your site (to a certain extent) and the way it appears in some search results. There are several Meta Tags like Meta Description Tag, Meta Keywords Tag and more, but out of the existing Tags the most important and popular ones are the Title Tag and the Meta Description Tag. Though the Title Tag does not belong to the Meta Tag family (click for more information on Meta Tags), yet from the Search Engine Optimization point of view, the Title Tag is the most significant tag on your web site, followed by the Meta Description Tag. What is a Title Tag? The Title Tag is an HTML code that shows the words that appear in the Title bar at the top of your web browser. These words do not appear anywhere else on your web page. For instance, the Title Tag of this page appears as ‘ Meta Tag Optimization: Title and Meta Description Tag Optimization ' at the top bar of your web browser. This is because these words were entered into the Title Tag of the web site's HTML code. Usually, the Title Tag is the first element in the area of your site, followed by the Meta Description and the Meta Keywords Tags. Before, we discuss the Title Tag in greater detail; lets see how it looks in your web site's HTML code: Why is the Title Tag Important from Search Engine Optimization perspective? Title Tag is an important Tag amongst other SEO related options, as it not only communicates the theme of your web page to the human visitors but is also considered very important by the Search Engine crawlers. Title Tag is not a Meta Tag, but nevertheless it is the most important of all Tags. Almost all crawler based search engines use the Title Tag to gather information about your web site. The search engines use the words or the content of the Title Tag during the ranking process to analyze the relevance of your web page. Major search engines like Google, Yahoo, AOL, AltaVista, and AlltheWeb use your web page's Title Tag to evaluate its relevance. Title Tag is the hyperlinked text title that is displayed in the search engine results page (SERP). The users, in turn, click on this hyperlink to go to your web site. The Title Tag is also used as the text when you 'bookmark' a page or add a certain web page to your 'favorites' list in your browser. A carefully constructed Title Tag is very important for your page's ranking with the search engines. Of late, a large number of articles have been written with differing views and opinions regarding the relevance and benefits of various Meta Tags. Most experts, however, agree that the Title Tag is a significant tool in any search engine optimization campaign. Working with the Title Tag Since the Title Tag plays a vital role in determining your site's ranking in the SERP, you need to pay a lot of attention to the words that appear in the Title Tag and the order in which they appear. You need to develop a crisply worded Title Tag that includes your most relevant keyword phrases and performs the function of announcing the summary of your web page's content. Title Tag and Keywords Amongst all the places you can use your important keyword phrases, the usage of keywords in the Title Tag gives the highest weight. While using your keyword phrases in the Title Tag, it is important to be highly focused. You should use the same keywords not just in your Title Tag, but also in your page content and the Meta Description Tag of your web page. If the keywords you intend using in your Title Tag do not appear anywhere else in your page's content, then avoid using them in your page title as the weight of the keywords in the Title Tag gets diluted. It is essential to sequence your keyword phrases correctly in your Title Tag. The order in which they appear is of great importance. Having your most important keyword phrase towards the beginning of the Title Tag helps display your title in bold in the SERP (search engines result pages).
Other Do's and Don'ts
Consider using both singular and plural forms of the important words in your Title Tag. For instance, you may use both 'loan' and 'loans' while making the Title Tag. Google is still experimenting with Stemming (interchange of singular and plural terms); however, it is fluctuating in its deployment frequently. A word of Caution: Do not overdo it.
Title Tag length : Google usually reads about 90 characters of your Title Tag. Therefore, a Title Tag of about 80-90 characters is good enough.
Do not use keywords repeatedly as the density of your keywords does not matter in your Title Tag.
The sequence in which keywords appear in your Title Tag is important. Try using natural phrases for your Title Tag, which read better and will likely conform to your Keyword Phrases.
Avoid using the same Title Tag throughout your site. Try using a unique Title Tag for each web page and use keyword Phrases that holds theme relevance to that page. You also get to leverage more keyword phrases if you individualize the Title Tag in all pages.
Most search engines are not case sensitive ; therefore, you can write your Title Tag in a way that looks most visually appealing.
Title Tag should ideally read like a phrase that makes some grammatical sense, not just a collection of keywords. This is all the more important as the Title Tag usually appears as the text when you 'bookmark' or add a page to your 'favorites' list. Therefore, it should make sense when a person reads it later. For instance, if you want to include the keywords Home Loans, fast clearance, No credit check in your Title Tag, you can write a Title Tag that reads: Home Loans: fast clearance with no credit check. What to Include in your Title Tag? You could put the product or service you are offering in the Title Tag, instead of your firm or company name. This is because most users when searching for, information search for specific products or services, not company names. Also note that search engines read about 80-90 characters in your Title Tag. This is prime Real Estate for your important keywords. If you strongly feel like putting your company or domain name in your Title Tag, then, do so at the end. Wasting several characters by inserting your site name does you little good. In a nutshell, the basic ingredients of a good Title Tag are :
It should announce the summary of your web page content.
It should read like a crisply worded sales pitch that is enticing enough to make the users click on your entry when it is displayed in SERP.
It should include your most important keyword phrases or search terms.
The sequencing of the keywords should make logical sense.
Each page of your website should have different and customized Title Tag relevant to the context of that page. The Title and Meta Description Tags are very important aspects of your search engine optimization campaign. This exercise begins with carrying out a thorough Keyword Phrase research. Keyword phrase research forms the most essential and important aspect of any SEO initiative. After selecting your most relevant keyword phrases and writing a keyword rich copy for your web page, you can now work these important search terms into your Title and Meta Description Tags. Read our detailed article on Keyword Phrase Research . The Title and Meta Description Tags are very important aspects of your search engine optimization campaign. This exercise begins with carrying out a thorough Keyword.
Phrase research. Keyword phrase research forms the most essential and important aspect of any SEO initiative. After selecting your most relevant keyword phrases and writing a keyword rich copy for your web page, you can now work these important search terms into your Title and Meta Description Tags. Read our detailed article on Keyword Phrase Research.
What is Meta Description Tag? The Meta Description Tag is a part of HTML code that allows you to give a short and concise summary of your web page content. The words placed in this Meta Tag, are often used in the search engines result pages (SERP), just below the Title Tag as a brief description of your page. In the Search Engine Results Pages, after reading the Title, a user usually studies the description of the page and decides whether she wants to visit your site or not. Some Search Engines prefer to ignore your Meta Description Tag and build the description summary on the basis of the search term for the SERP on the fly. They usually pick up parts of the text on your page wherever the search terms appear. The only exceptions are the Flash, Frame or All Image sites that have no content, and some high importance websites, where the search term is not found in the text. In such a case, Google picks up your entire Meta Description Tag and displays it.

Importance of Meta Description Tag All search engines do not give very high prominence to the Meta Description Tag and may generate a description on the fly while listing your web page in SERP. However, in some search engines, a good Meta Description Tag might help a page to rank higher for your targeted search terms. This holds true for Flash, Frame or All Image sites that have no content as well as some high importance websites, where the search term is not found in the text. In such cases, some search engines pick up the exact Meta Description Tag and display it in its SERP, just below the Title Tag. Hence, it is important to write a crisp and enticing Meta Description Tag that includes your important keyword phrases and manages to interest your user, thus making her click on your entry. Working with Meta Description Tag Keyword Phrases and Meta Description Tag: Include your most relevant and important keyword phrases in your page's Meta Description Tag. As in the case of Title Tag, focus on the same keyword phrases as you used in your page's Title Tag and body text. Fewer and highly targeted search phrases can boost your web page's relevance in the search engines results. Hence, stress should be on writing a brief yet informative description for your web page. The Meta Description Tag of your web page should not read like a collection of keywords, but should be written as an informative and interesting summary of your web page. Do's and Don'ts of a good Meta Description Tag:
Excessive keyword repetition should be avoided. Instead, pay attention to the sequence in which your keywords appear. Your most important terms should be placed in the beginning.
Make sure each page on your web site has a different and a unique Meta Description Tag using the keyword phrases that are relevant to that web page.
A Meta Description Tag of 25-30 words should do fine.
The most important keyword phrases should, ideally be placed at the beginning of your Meta Description Tag, which increases your chances of better Search Engine Rankings

About The Author

Not that there is anything fundamentally wrong with doing business with Google. Everyone is profiting from Google, find out how you can too! Click-here: Promote Your Websites © 2006 Promoting Webs

Yahoo Used in Spyware Click-Fraud Scheme

Through its Overture pay-per-click search division, Yahoo has been found facilitating fraudulent clíck activity generated by known spyware makers including 180solutions, Intermix, and Direct Revenue. The Spyware - Click-Fraud Connection -- and Yahoo's Role Revisited, (Apr. 4, 06), shows how at least a dozen different spyware firms redirect Internet users searches through their servers, inserting Overture ad links on unrelated websites or with pop-ups triggered by those sites.

Ben Edelman is a researching PhD candidate at the Department of Economics at Harvard. In his follow up to a Sept. 5, 2005 paper, How Yahoo Funds Spyware, Edelman documents a web of relationships between Overture and, "... a startling number of notorious spyware programs."

A recent graduate of Harvard's Law School, Edelman lays out his argument methodically, briefly explaining what constitutes click-fraud and ways in which it happens. He also notes that Yahoo has tried to sever its relationships with the offending firms, often unsuccessfully, as they (spyware makers) continue to include Overture code in their spyware programs. "When Yahoo terminates one fraudster, that fraudster's partners find another way to continue operations."

A few paragraphs down, he notes, "After I highlighted these vendors in my August report, it seems Yahoo attempted to terminate its relationships with them. Yet 180 continued not just to show Yahoo ads, but also to perform click-fraud, as documented." Eliminating spyware click-fraud is likened to a game of Whack-a-Mole. When Yahoo moves to shut down one channel, another is immediately opened.

Edelman calls the methods outlined in his study, Spyware Syndicated PPC Fraud. "Suppose X, the Yahoo partnër site, hires a spyware vendor to send users to its site and to make it appear as if those users clicked X's Yahoo ads. Then advertisers will pay Yahoo, and Yahoo will pay X, even though users nevër actually clicked the ads."

Using four detailed case studies, conducted between Dec. 17, 2005 and Apr. 2, 2006, Edelman traces traffïc generated on test PCs known to be contaminated with various spyware products. Using packet logs, screenshots, images and video, Edelman effectively demonstrates how each of his conclusions was drawn.

In one case, he shows a link inserted on a New York Times document anchored to the word "prime minister". The link was placed by Qklinkserver and would not appear on an uninfected PC. It was placed without permission from the Times. When clicked, the link sent traffïc through Overture to a PPC advertiser.

The study names, Intermix, 180Solutions, Nbcsearch, eXact, Ditto, Look2me, Ad-w-a-r-e, Improvingyourlooks, Qklinkserver, Srch-results, Claria, InfoSpace, SurfSideKick, TrafficEngine, HotBar and IBIS, as companies directly involved in spyware click-fraud.

Edelman goes on to note, "Yahoo's problem results from bad partners within its network." Because it distributes advertising to third parties who might in turn syndicate those ads to others, Yahoo has no real control over how its ad codes are used to generate clicks.

The problem of click-fraud is an ever-present danger in pay-per-click advertising, one that troubles Google as well. David Utter at WebProNews quotes Google CEO Eric Schmidt saying, "Believe me, as a computer scientist, we have the ability to detect the invalid clicks before they reach advertisers", juxtaposing the quote against the $90million settlement Google reached in the Lanes Gift and Collectables class action.

Edelman closes his study with a realistic but stern warning. The problem is not going to go away. In fact, it is likely to get worse. The market for spyware vendors is drying up, mostly because consumers are aware of the problem and corporate advertisers no longer want to be associated with it. The spyware makers are increasingly turning to more complex systems, including the money-rich PPC market, to find susceptible targets.

Spyware makers have long been known leaches on the Internet. Some, such as Claria receive support from large venture capital firms such as US Venture Partners and Technology Crossover Ventures. In some cases, they have become parts of much largër companies, including some of the world's largest advertising firms. For example, Intermix is a division of News Corp and owns the social network MySpace.Com.

Now that several noted spyware makers have been shown to be involved with click-fraud scams, Yahoo and Google should be moved to immediate action. Aside from protecting the integrity of their PPC programs and maintaining the trust of their advertisers, they must be aware that the New York Attorney General's office is watching.

In a speech sponsored by TRUSTe and the International Association of Privacy Professionals, Ken Dreifach, chief of the Internet bureau in the New York State Attorney General's office, said that entities such as Google and Yahoo can be held accountable for how their affiliates use their content.

In an article published by MediaPost, Shankar Gupta quoted Dreifach saying, "You don't want to ever assume that the existence of intermediaries, whether it's two or six, is going to immunize you from liability."

About The Author

Not that there is anything fundamentally wrong with doing business with Google. Everyone is profiting from Google, find out how you can too! Click-here: http://www.promotingwebs.com © 2006 Promoting Webs

Top 10 AdSense Tricks To Boost Your Commission

Google AdSense - http://www.google.com/adsense - is fast becoming the preferred way for people to earn an income online. Forget eBay and multiple affïliate programs. Whether you are a work-at-home mom trying to make a little extra cäsh or an Internet entrepreneur with hundreds of monetized websites, AdSense is truly the easiest way to earn monëy.
Simply sign up for a frëe account, grab your ad code and paste it in your site. But here's the amazing thing - no matter how much monëy AdSense is making for you right now, a few simple tweaks can increase that amount considerably. And I should know, after learning about these tricks, I more than doubled my AdSense commissions!

The self-proclaimed AdSense gurus and experts are sharing this insider knowledge, for a fee.
Editorial Note: Some of the website AdSense examples provided below by the author may have changed since the article was written.
You can learn all these secrets from them, as long as you buy their e-book, sign up for their seminar or purchase their newsletter. But I'm going to share all their AdSense tricks for frëe. Here they are:
1) Color code your ads to match your web site palette *exactly*. Don't use frames around your ads. Instead, in the AdSense code generation interface, make sure you choose the same color as your page background for the ad frame and the ad background.
When choosing the ad heading colors, match them to the *exact* color of your page headings. Use the exact same ad background shade as your page background. Use the exact same ad text font and color as the text on your pages. You can see an example of this color-matching on my Search Engine Articles - notice the 4 link ad unit at the top and the skyscraper text ad unit on the left hand side under the heading Ads by Google as you scroll down the page? The link and text colors are identical to the color palette used throughout the rest of the page.
Near enough is NOT good enough. If you can't quite get the color matching right, use Google's built in color palette together with the RGB to HEX or vice versa color converter on this page - http://www.w3.org/MarkUp/Guide/Style. That handy little tool was a life saver for me.

This is probably the one single tweak that made the most difference to my commission levels.
2) Try not to use the traditional horizontal banner style or leaderboard image ads because people are blind to them.
3) Use Google's own AdSense optimization tips and visual heat map to assist you in deciding where on your page to place your AdSense ad code.
4) Research competitive keywords using a keyword research tool such as Keyword Discovery or grab a list of the most popular keywords from various sources and use them in your web site pages where relevant. This article - http://searchenginewatch.com/facts/article.php/2156041 - is a good source of frequently searched keywords. Targeting popular keywords should trigger AdSense ads on your pages that utilize those keywords. The more popular the keyword or phrase, the higher AdWords advertisers are generally willing to pay-per-click for it so the higher your commission on those clicks.
5) Incorporate the AdSense code into your page so that the ads look like a regular part of your site. You can see an example on this Internet Dating Stories site - http://www.lovestory.com.au/ - where link ads are incorporated within the regular left hand navigation of the site under the heading "Sponsor Links". 6) Use Google's new 4 and 5 link ad units wherever possible. They seem to have a much higher Click-Through-Rate (CTR) than regular ad styles. You can view all the AdSense ad formats at https://www.google.com/adsense/adformats.

7) Place arrows or images next to your ads to draw attention to them. You can see two different versions on this search engine article library page - http://www.promotingwebs.com/seo-linkbuilding-articles.html - at the top (where a pointing hand directs your eye to the ad) and the bottom where 3 images draw your attention to each of the three AdSense ads.

8) Use the full allowance of multiple AdSense ads on each of your pages - 3 regular AdSense ads, plus 1 link unit. Use careful placement of these ads so they blend into your site and don't distract from your content. Clever use of this allowance can be seen on this page about bad Internet dating stories - http://www.lovestory.com.au/bad-stories.htm - where you see:
1 horizontal 4 link ad unit towards the top of the page under the first paragraph.
1 vertical skyscraper text ad unit about halfway down the left hand side under "Sponsor Links".
1 vertical skyscraper image ad unit down the left hand side under "Sponsor Links".
1 horizontal text banner unit at the bottom of the page with images above each ad to draw attention to them.
You can also include 1 AdSense referral button in addition to the 3 other units.
9) Tailor your page content to a particular niche or focus. Page content that is tailored towards a specific theme is more likely to trigger AdWords ads that closely match the content and are therefore more likely to interest your visitors and inspire them to clíck.
Don't create pages merely for the sake of placing AdSense ads. Visitors (and search engines) can see through this ruse in an instänt.
10) Use custom Ad Channels for each of your ad placements, for example, "Top 5 Link Unit Blue Palette" or "Left Side Navigation Image Skyscraper" etc. Tweak, track and measure the success of each of these custom channels so you know what gives you the highest CTR. Some ad formats and colors will work better than others, but you won't know which until you test, test and test some more!

About The Author

Not that there is anything fundamentally wrong with doing business with Google. Everyone is profiting from Google, find out how you can too! Click-here: Promote Your Websites © 2006 Promoting Webs

How To Protect Your Site From A Google PageRank Drop

For the uninitiated, Google ranks all pages on the web with a scale of PR0 to PR10 - higher is better. High PR sites or pages receive most of the traffïc for competitive keywords or phrases. Keywords are what surfers type into search engines to find what they're looking for on the web.

Ranking high in Google for popular keywords can prove very lucrative. It can make the difference whether your website is in the black and producing hourly profits, or a total worthless waste of pixel space. Having a high Google PR is equivalent to having monëy in the bank, it is that important.

Google is still the undisputed king of traffïc and, regardless of what's on the horizon, Google is the major deliverer of the web's traffïc. That's why losing your high Google PR ranking, sometimes overnight, can be so devastating for the struggling webmaster or marketer.
Read this article to discover how you as a webmaster can protect yourself from lost profits and traffïc, even if Google pulls the plug on your site or PR, while putting another one of their endless algorithms into place.

10 Ways to Outsmart Google's PageRank System
Here's a list of things you can do to lessen the impact of a sudden drop of the almighty Google PageRank:
• Diversify your traffïc - make sure you cultivate other sources of traffïc other than the search engines. Förm partnerships and strategic links with other webmasters. Interact in forums and online communities.
• Provide quality information and frëe products or services that get 'good word of mouth' recommendations from your visitors. Content will always be king - make sure it reigns supreme on your site.
• Pick the right domain name. If you can, choose a short catchy keyword for your domain, one people will remember and would naturally type into a search engine or browser to find what they're looking for on the web. For example: www.hotels.com.

• If you're having success with your site, (or/and especially if you're not) venture into off-line advertising and promotion. Use traditional promotional products, t-shirts, caps, bumper stickers, etc. to promote your URL. You can also try PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising to provide you with targeted traffïc and sidestep the search engines. Well sort of!
• Try viral products like ebooks, reports and frëe software programs to get your links out into the marketplace. You can also try product or site testimonials which are another great source of targeted traffïc.
• Be extremely careful of any out-going links from your site. Don't link to bad neighborhoods (link farms, banned sites, etc.) Google will penalize you for bad links so always chëck the PageRank of the sites you're linking to from your site. If you don't have the Google Bar - you can chëck any site's PageRank at: http://www.iwebtool.com/.
• Onsite SEO factors do have an influence on rankings - make sure your site is dressed to kill. Pay attention to keyword density, title descriptions, meta tags, alt tags and interior linking structure. If you can, optimize your site for all three major search engines: MSN, Yahoo and Google. But don't stop there, also submit your site to the countless other smaller search engines on the web. It's the old adage, don't put all your eggs into the ever-changing Google basket or you'll probably turn your site and yourself into one desperate basket case. Other search engines listed at: www.isedn.org.

• Along those same lines, have a large spread of keyword phrases that you're targeting with the content on your site. Don't go after extremely competitive keywords which have countless major players with deep pockets buying links, left right and center. Instead, pick a whole range of keyword phrases that have less or little competition. All these keyword phrases will add up to a flood of traffïc for your site. Phrases that for the most part won't be affected by a sudden drop in PageRank. One good site for finding these keywords is www.nichebot.com - it will give both the number of hits and the amount of competition for each keyword.

• There is one more strategy you must explore if you want to lessen the power and importance of your own site's PR. One strategy that will bring in tons of Google traffïc even if your PR is ZERO. You must utilize the PageRank of other sites on the web. Use off-page optimization for your major keywords. Build countless anchor text links through keyword rich articles, content related blogs and products that benefit from the high PR of other sites on the web.
• Keyword rich articles are some of the best examples of this method, placing them on high PR sites will filter Google traffïc through these articles onto your site. It will also warm up these visitors before they reach your site and they will be more receptive to any of your site's offerings - nevër underestimate the power of the Pre-sell. Build enough of these links and a sudden drop in your own Google PR ranking won't drastically affect your bottom line or the amount of quality traffïc you are receiving.
What's even more satisfying, if you build these links, partnerships, and off-site optimization - your Google PageRank will probably go up. If it doesn't, who cares, for you will have Google-Proofed your site against any sudden drop in your site's PR rankings and broadened the reach of your site by using the high PR of other sites on the Web. In the process, you will have protected your site and yourself from the big bad Google PR wolf.
You don't have to conquer Google, you just have to outsmart it!

About The Author

Not that there is anything fundamentally wrong with doing business with Google. Everyone is profiting from Google, find out how you can too! Click-here: http://www.promotingwebs.com © 2006 Promoting Webs