Why Google Index PDF Files as Images? SEO Perspective

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For Google to index your PDF files as images is not a good thing. This simply means your site is not optimized well for search engines. In this article we’ll review two PDF file scenarios and how search engines such as Google, Yahoo and MSN index them. If you’re reading this, then you’re most likely concerned about SEO and how your site ranks. Before you reach out to a search engine optimization agency read about a few basic SEO tips to help your site rank better.

Scenario 1: PDF Files and Search Engines:

Put yourself in this situation. You’re a professional with a great idea for your company’s website. You want to reach out to your customer base by posting a PDF on your website. You picked a PDF format because you have control over how the document looks and you enjoy the piece of mind knowing the document is difficult to edit. Before you post the PDF, consider these three search engine optimization questions.

1. Can you highlight the text?

For SEO purposes there are two types of PDF files: files that the text can be highlighted and files that the text cannot be highlighted. If you cannot highlight the text on your PDF, you’re abandoning potentially valuable SEO content because search engines see your PDF as an image file and not a searchable document (please see scenario 2).

If you can highlight the text within the PDF, then you’re on your way to potential SEO content gold. Now it is time to further optimize the PDF for a user of a search engine query.

2. What is the name of the PDF?

Search engines pay attention to your PDF title. Before posting the PDF to your website consider renaming the PDF to an SEO-friendly title. Unlike files on your computer, the Internet cannot have gaps in URL text, therefore consider using hyphens (-)’s, or underscores (_)’s to convey the title of your document. For example if the title of your document on your computer is “Atlanta SEO Agency.pdf,” consider naming the file “Atlanta-seo-agency.pdf” prior to uploading the content to your website. (Note: the title of a PDF replaces a title tag on a traditional website page).

The result is the PDF posted to your website it will read “yourdomain.com/atlanta-seo-agency.pdf.” This allows you to gain further value once this PDF has been indexed by a search engine. The first readable line of text within the PDF will display at the title of a search engine query result. Let’s continue how the search engines post PDF results in a search engine query.

3. What text is featured on the first few lines of text?

The second part of a search engine result is a description. On traditional pages this could be a description tag, or a snippet of text that encompasses the keyword phrase being used in the search engine query. A PDF file is treated very specifically in search engine results. In many cases the description is the first few lines of legible text.

For example if your PDF is a whitepaper and the first few lines of text is focused around copy write information or other information that is not intuitive to a search engine user as to the focus of the document, consider revising the document so the first few lines of text speaks specifically to the description of the document.

Scenario 2: PDF is an image:

In the first scenario we described a text-based PDF that could be highlighted. In this scenario we review what happens when a PDF cannot be highlighted, but instead has qualities of an image. An essential rule of search engine optimization is that search engines don’t have eyes. Meaning, if you have text on your page that is an image, the search engine will not be able to read these words.

When a PDF cannot be highlighted the result is a file that has the same value to the search engine as if you took a document, placed it on a scanner, and transferred the scanned image to your computer. In this scenario the search engine cannot differentiate from a PDF that contains the word “apple” and an actual photo of an apple. To the search engine, it’s all just an image.

Curious to know more about how PDF files can be leveraged with search engines? A final piece of advice is to consider incorporating PDF files on your website when it can improve user experience. Search engine algorithms have placed a heightened value of importance on such files and leveraging this files correctly can help your company rank higher for targeted keyword phrases.

As you can see there is a science to optimizing PDF files for search engines. To a savvy individual, implementing some of the best practices described in this article can help improve the visibility of your PDF and your site overall. For more complicated situations you may want to consider reaching out to a SEO agency or a SEO web design agency for additional search engine marketing agency advice.

Thank you for your time. Happy blogging. :D

Optimizing Online Catalog Copy for the Search Engines

It only makes sense. You have an e-commerce catalog site. You want lots of visitors to come to your site and buy. The best (and most cost-effective) way to do that is with great search engine placement. However, search engines are text machines, and most catalogs don’t have a lot of text, so herein lies the problem.

The obvious answer is that you need more copy on each page. However, the pictures of your products are just as important as the copy, so they can’t be removed to make more space. That doesn’t leave a lot of room in the product description area, does it? Maybe not, but who said all the copy had to go in the description area? Who said you have to create a site the same way a paper catalog is created?

Sometimes we view our site’s pages with a very narrow vision. This causes us to have an “it’s always been done that way” mentality. While direct mail catalogs may be sorely limited on space and require short sections of copywriting, Web pages have infinite room for copy.

Your Home Page

Most often, online catalogs have a home page that is almost exclusively graphic. There may be short blips of copywriting here and there, but not much. Since your home page is the most important page to have optimized for the engines, you’ll want to include a minimum of 200 words of SEO copywriting there. Don’t panic… it doesn’t have to all be in one place.

You can create a short section of keyword-rich body copy as an introduction to the site. Then, under a graphic of your new spring additions, include some SEO copy explaining why your visitors will just *have* to have these products. You can then add a sentence or two of copy under the graphics in your sidebar. Lastly, give the highlights of your customer-service program or money-back guarantee and an invitation to click further into the site to shop around, and you’re all done.

Obviously, where the copy goes is dependent on your site’s layout, but you get the idea. Spread the copywriting around. You don’t have to put it all in one lump in the middle of the page.

Category Pages

What traditionally happens with online catalogs is that you click from the home page to a “category” page. That category page usually just has links on it to other individual product pages plus perhaps a picture or two. That’s a shame because category pages are another perfect place for SEO copy.

Since keyphrases are often highly descriptive of products (i.e., crew neck sweaters, six-disc CD players, etc.), they work wonderfully on category pages. Because category pages are selective (they only show products within a certain category), they are exceptional arenas for SEO copywriting.

Let’s say you have a catalog site that deals with interior design accessories for the home. One category might be Tiffany lamps. Because the phrase Tiffany lamps is also a wonderful keyphrase, its inclusion in the category page copy comes quite naturally. This means you can create SEO copywriting for the top or middle of the page (just a short paragraph or two) and also write blips of copy for each product description. For example:

===================================
The Tiffany Lamp - A Timeless Masterpiece
===================================

Tiffany lamps have long been considered icons of style. While certain characteristics are constant (that’s what makes a Tiffany lamp a Tiffany lamp), there is also tremendous variety. From Tiffany lamps for your floor to those made to adorn your ceilings, you’ll find one reflective of your own personal taste and style.

Next you could list all the individual products (floor Tiffany lamps, ceiling Tiffany lamps, desk Tiffany lamps, etc.) and give brief, keyword-rich descriptions of each one.

Product Descriptions

When you get to the product description level, you’ll want to include enticing, keyword-rich copy with each listing. However, you’ll also want to include more text on each product page.

Consider that most people shopping online don’t have the benefit of being able to touch, feel, smell, taste, or see the actual products. Use the lack of human senses to develop more descriptive information for your visitors.

You might also want to include any technical information you have for your products on the same product description page. Contrary to Internet myth, people don’t mind scrolling one bit *IF* there is information they want to see on other parts of the page.

By reconsidering your catalog-copywriting techniques when it comes to the Web, you can get your e-commerce catalog ranked highly in the search engines. It just takes a little open-mindedness and a willingness to break free from the ways of the past. When you do, more customers and higher sales levels are bound to follow.

by Karon Thackston © 2004
http://www.marketingwords.com

About The Author
Copy not getting results? Let Karon provide search engine copywriting, catalog copywriting, or other types for you. Just visit http://www.marketingwords.com. You can also learn to write your own SEO copy that impresses the engines and your visitors at http://www.copywritingcourse.com.

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Keyword Selection and Website Optimization

Marketing and optimizing a website for search engines is a broad topic. There are many factors to consider when heading out with the goal of improving your website’s visibility and ranking within various search engines. In part one I will discuss the highly requested topic of website keywords. In follow-up articles I will cover additional topics such as page ranking, pay-per-click advertising campaigns, the marketing techniques to avoid, and the latest analysis technologies including eye tracking software.

Choosing the right keywords for a website is an important and informative research task. In the process of improving your website you’ll learn a lot about your industry and your competitors.

Keywords are one the main factors that come into play in the algorithms used by major search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Windows Live Search. If a web surfer is looking for home decorating tips and types ‘home decorating’ into a search engine, it will search its database for websites that contain that phrase and those individual words.

Selecting the correct keywords

If you are an expert in your field, you know what your customers are looking for. Specifically, you know many of the words and phrases your customers would use to describe your products and services. Start with what you know.

Write out a list of phrases and words that describe your business. If you have a home decorating business you may think of words like ‘interior design’ and ‘furnishings’. Sort your list so that the most common phrases are on the top of your list.

You will now want to cross-reference the list of keywords that you have compiled with other lists generated for your industry. This will bring to mind other keywords that you may not have thought of. I recommend using a popular web-based keyword research tool named Wordtracker (http://www.wordtracker.com). Wordtracker helps identify additional keywords and phrases and offers a free trial of their service. It provides only a limited number of related words, but is still a great starting point. Searching for related keywords for ‘home decorating’ with Wordtracker produces a list of keywords like 'home', 'decor', 'decorating', 'home decor', 'furniture', 'design', 'interior', 'interior decorating', 'art', 'wall', and 'fabric'.

Other keyword tools, which produce similar results, are also available. These include, among others, the web-based tools provided by Yahoo (Overture) (http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion/), and Google (https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal).

After compiling and merging the various lists of keywords, you’ll be ready to move on to the next step.

Using the correct keywords on your website

Now that you have a clear picture of which keywords web surfers may type into their search engine to find your business, you need to be sure your website contains these important keywords.

A strategy is required when updating your website to include the keywords in your list. Starting at the top of your list, quickly review the keywords. Think about which keywords would naturally be present on your website and which keywords you probably wouldn’t use. Using the first list of keywords, you may now start reviewing the different sections of your website.

Your selected keywords should be placed in various areas of your site with the proper frequency. Your website content should focus on making sense to your visitors, not fed with keywords that will hopefully improve your search positioning. Search engine algorithms can detect the over use of keywords, which can negatively affect your positioning. Let’s now look at different areas of your website.

Website Title

Every website has a title. This is not a website logo or a bold heading found on the top section of a website. The website title is displayed in the web browser’s title bar. This is the top most area of the window located to the far left of the window’s minimize, maximize, and close buttons. The website title is also the text that is displayed in search engine search results, which is often in a larger font and underlined. The website title is the first thing that a web surfer sees when performing a search. Web surfers quickly scan through search result website titles to evaluate which website will meet their needs. This is your first opportunity to grab their attention.

A website title should contain as many of your keywords as possible, while maintaining easy readability. This will do two things for you. First, the search engine will find your website in its database and display your website in their results. Second, the website title will catch the surfer’s interest as they see their search criteria matching your website title. Over-stuffing the title with keywords makes the title difficult to read and may be seen as abuse by search engines. The website title is updated by changing the text located between the opening and closing title tags, in the header of the HTML code (Page Title). The title length should be kept to handful of words. The website description allows more space for describing your products and services.

Website Description

As with the website title, the website description should also contain a variety of keywords. Unlike the website title, the website description is not visible on any part of the website itself. The description is the summary information you see in search engines results, displayed below the website title. The website description gives you a little more space to describe your website and your products and services. Again, be sure that your description is easily readable for your visitors, in order to attract them to click your site title. The website description can be updated by changing the text in the description meta tag, in the header of the HTML code ().

Website Keywords

Along with the title and description entries in the HTML code, there is also an area to define a set of keywords that you’d like to associate to the page. This is called the keyword meta tag. Keywords are entered as a comma separated list, as follows (). The industry consensus is that the keyword meta tag is currently of little or no use with today’s major search engines. However, search engines continue to recommend their usage.

Website Content

This brings us to the meat of our website, so to speak. Our chosen keywords should be used throughout the website content where it makes sense. Again, over-stuffing page content with keywords so that the message is unnatural can be detected by search engines. A good practice is to use the keywords to make the page content more descriptive. For example, a pet store may sell a variety of pet foods. This can be written in a descriptive manner, such as, ‘dog food and cat food’, instead of using ‘dog and cat food’. In this example the keyword ‘food’ is used twice.

Headings and Hyperlinks

Special attention should be given to the usage of heading (This is a Heading) tags and anchor tags (click here). Keyword usage in page heading is more valuable than keywords used in a paragraph of text. The same can be said with anchor tags (a.k.a. hyperlinks). Using keywords as the clickable text of a hyperlink is very valuable.

Keyword Density

Keyword density refers to the percentage of occurrences of your keywords compared to the other text on the web page. Keyword density tools such as Webconfs.com’s Keyword Density Checker (http://webconfs.com/keyword-density-checker.php) provides a visualization of the main theme or message on a chosen page. This tool counts the number of times each word is repeated on the page, which is a good test of how you’ve done at inserting keywords to optimize the content. It is also a good representation of how search engines will see your page. ‘More is better’ is not the most effective keyword density goal. Although the optimum keyword density is much debated, having some balance is definitely in order. A density below 1% makes it difficult for a search engine to understand your main message, where a density over 5% will start to make the content appear unnatural. At this stage in website optimization, the page content can be continually edited while the keyword density is being re-checked. Continue this process until your keywords are among the words with the highest density.

Conclusion

Choosing the correct keywords for your website is a must. Website keyword optimization is not rocket science, but it must be implemented carefully. By using the correct keywords, not only will your site be positioned well in search results, but it will draw visitors to your website.

About The Author
Chris Haney is the founder of The Coding Studio (http://www.TheCodingStudio.com), a custom web site development company serving businesses in Calgary, Alberta, specializing in dynamic, data-driven web sites, ecommerce solutions, web-based applications, and search engine optimization.

For more blogging tips and advices, visit Blogging Mix. Enhance your blog and blogging skills with Blogging Mix.

Blogging Success: Make Your Blog Look Unique

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Many blogs display the same boring templates or skins for the layout. While the template does not affect readers who enjoy your blog via RSS feed (unless they click through to the blog), but it really affects any other blog visitor who reads the blog from the web browser. The more unique looking a blog design is, the easier it is to build brand recognition and a good name that gets you into viral marketing. If your blog looks like dozens of other blogs, your own blog will not stick out from the crowd and you will lose out on visitors. In the past I have been using free Wordpress templates myself. I applied minor modifications, but it never really separated my blog from others enough to be really unique.

The problem with so many blogs is to find out what is their main specialty. What is the main topic a blogger is writing about? Often there is no way to tell what a blog is about - especially if you enter a blog from an older posting through a search engine listing. The homepage might eventually have a small snippet of text explaining the topic of a blog, but archived articles do not show this normally. Or the blog owner does not even bother at all to tell what his main intent for the blog is. By using a custom blog design this can easily be integrated and helps to make the blog look different from anyone else.

By using a custom header as an example it helps to get the unique look you are looking for. First of all if it is completely unique it makes my blog stick out more. Second it can help you to show what your blog is all about and therefore get people to come back. Make your Blog look unique + make sure your visitors know what your blog is about. Just because they find a (one) posting of your blog that matches their search term, it does not mean that your blog is really of interest to them. But you might be able to catch their interest by pointing out what your blog is really about. If you catch their interest you might gain a new reader that a) comes back to read more from your blog and b) eventually tells others about your great blog.

Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com

About the Author:Christoph Puetz is a successful author and Internet Entrepreneur. He is writing about Search Engine Optimization, PPC Marketing, and other related topics at his Make Money Online blog.