Stephen Shone's Blog

SEO in a nutshell - it's not that hard, really!

2008-09-16T05:35:00.000-07:00

The topic of SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is a thorny one, and has been discussed at length by finer minds than mine. But there's one thing everyone should know :

It isn't hard. Really.

Well, it's hard work in that you have to keep on top of things, but really, anyone can do it. What gets me about some SEO firms is they see a client and make them believe it's all rocket science. And then you see a good SEO and they tell you that yes, it takes time but no, it's not difficult.

I am currently Page 1 on Google for around 100 keywords for my work websites, on a yearly spend of very little (just hosting costs). We are even P1 on single keywords out of around 28 million results. Some simple tips :

1) The Title Tag
Page title - keep it to the point - less than 64 characters in length and keyword-rich. I think it's best to include the name of the business. For example - 'Thomas Jones Hire Cars - Vehicle Rental in Chorley'. Remember the page title is the first thing people will see in Google.

2) Meta Tags
Meta keywords are not ultra important any more but still include them. Make them as concise and specific as possible - 10 or 15 keywords should be adequate. Do not repeat keywords and put the most important ones at the start of the list.

3) Headings
H1 and H2 tage should include your most relevant keywords. Use H3 onwards for less important headings.

4) Images - Use Alt Tags
Alt tage on images should include your most relevant keywords. From an accessibility point of view, anyone using a screen reader (for example the visually impaired) would hear this text, so make sure it makes sense, and not 'car0001pic', for instance.

5) Optimise for 3-4 keywords per page
Only optimise each page for around 3-4 keywords - don't aim for too many as you'll dilute the ones you're aiming for. If you want more keywords, write more content and put in on new pages.

6) Keyword Density
Aim for between 2-15% keyword density. Any more than 15% and you run the risk of being seen as spamming. 4% is about ideal from my experience.

7) Build links to your site
To get listed on Google, you need a link from at least one other site. Very rarely have I ever submitted a site to Google (it can take 6 months). The best way is to build backlinks - there are a few ways to do this :

a) Directory submissions (Free ones, I wouldn't pay anyone to list my site)

b) Commenting on DoFollow blogs (keep the comments relevant though).

Usually your name tag on your blog post will include a link to your site. DoFollow blogs are blogs with the 'NoFollow' tag removed, which basically means you benefit from the link in terms of Google positioning - get enough links from PR2-3 sites and your own PageRank will increase.

I'll say it again - DO NOT SPAM. Leave helpful comments with no keyword spamming or links in the content. If spamming annoys enough people, you're likely to get reported to Akismet (Spam filtering software for most Wordpress blogs), and your URL will therefore be blocked from 99% of blogs.

Check the PageRank of the page you comment on - a PR0 will not benefit you. Having said that, bear in mind that it may well do in the future as the PageRank may improve. A common myth is that PageRank only updates every few months - PageRank actually changes pretty much daily, when Google checks who links to your site. The indicator on Google Toolbar just provides a snapshot at a given time.

c) Seeking relevant sites and asking them to link to you (perhaps in exchange for you linking to them). I have done this with my work sites with people in the industry who are not competitors. For example, if you sell special bolts, you could ask someone who sells special tools to link to you and vice versa.

8) Quality content
Aim for high quality content. This is the main one. It doesn't matter if you're #1 in Google if your content is uninteresting, or (even worse) spam. Avoid repeating keywords - this is bad practice, and no one wants to read 'Like blue widgets? We sell the best blue widgets around at our blue widgets shop.' Eurgh. Make sure there are calls to action, and that it is as easy as possible for the customer to buy your product - make your site easily navigable.

9) Aim for Page 1, top 5
85% of searches are gobbled up by the first 5 results on Google. So you ideally need to be 'before the scroll'. This really isn't as hard as it sounds. I recommend analysing your site each month to benchmark where you are on your chosen keywords, this way you can spot trends and see what's working and what isn't.

10)Localise your keyphrases
If you can't get anywhere for say, 'car hire', and you're based in Bolton, aim for 'car hire bolton' to start with. You'd be surprised how many searchers include their local area in the search.

11)Do it all again
Rinse and repeat.

Hexagon Bolts and Nuts Distributor

Casual gaming - is it a myth?

2008-08-12T06:28:00.001-07:00

Excellent article at Eurogamer.

Personally, I think there's no such thing as casual or hardcore gaming - I'm a fan of stuff like Galaxian, which due to it's difficulty would be classed as hardcore, but accessibility-wise it's more casual. I suppose it's how you define the term.

So-called 'hardcore' gamers get my goat. Games should be for everyone. Even my nan!

I love Wii Sports, Wii Play and now Guitar Hero, as I'm basically a hiscore gamer - I'll spend forever trying to improve my scores, which I think comes down to being brought up on 80s arcade games.

IMO they're not casual at all - they may be accessible in that they're easy to play, but they take ages to master (GH3 in particular - I'm getting mauled on that at the mo).

I'd rather not have the endless raft of rubbish minigames that have followed Wii Sports, but I really think gaming is in a golden age - never before have we had such diversity.

The bottom line is that games should be fun. Whether you're swinging a tennis racquet or ordering a tank battalion to outflank your enemy, if you're having fun that's all that matters.

Bye for now,

Stephen

BSF Bolts

Bolt and Nuts - Google to the rescue!

2008-08-11T06:02:00.000-07:00

Needed some old BSF and BSW bolts today, so I rang a few places that used to stock them to no avail - they're definitely much harder to find these days.

I checked Google and Thomas Smith Fasteners in Wigan came up. I was unable to find the ones I needed so I rang them.

Apparently they are one of only a few firms in the UK who still manufacture British Standard threadforms - and the chap on the phone said they used to supply a hero of mine - Fred Dibnah!

Bolts duly ordered, should be here in a few days. The guy on the phone was nice so I'll give them a nice free plug!

Their site is really interesting - check it out.

BSF and BSW Bolts

Tired...

2008-08-11T05:41:00.000-07:00

I made the mistake of buying Guitar Hero for the Wii yesterday.

Switched it on at 7PM, thinking I'd have a quick blast with the kids.

Ha. Can you spot the deliberate mistake, alert readers?

Got to bed at 3AM (up for work at 6:45, Gnngh) - only after Lisa, Ben and I had consumed many beers and completed Easy mode, and dipped our toes into the unrelenting pit of fiery hell that is Medium.

So here I am - barely awake, with 70s rock tunes reverberating around my head, and yet I'm still eagerly counting the seconds until I can forcibly remove a Guitar-shaped plastic controller away from my kids and pretend to be a rock god.

This fact alone, in my humble opinion, makes Guitar Hero 3 the greatest videogame since Galaxian (especially for hiscore junkies - I spent a fair amount of time on Quick Play trying to better my own scores).

Garton International - B8 Studbolts