I-Search #061: Y! Upgrade

-----------------------------------------------------------------
                    SearchReturn Discussion List
             "Understanding Internet Search Technology"
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Moderator:                                          Published by:
Detlef Johnson                                       SearchReturn
               http://www.searchreturn.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------
May 09, 2006                              SearchReturn Issue #061
-----------------------------------------------------------------
SEND POSTS: 
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Refer a friend:       http://www.searchreturn.com/subscribe.shtml
-----------------------------------------------------------------

                   .....IN THIS DIGEST.....

// -- FEATURED POST -- //

            "Textbook SEO"
                     ~ Mike Grehan

// -- CONTINUING DISCUSSION -- //

            "Textbook SEO"
            "Middle East SEO"
                     ~ SearchReturn

// -- ESSENTIAL NEWS -- //

            "Yahoo! Search Marketing Upgrade"

-----------------------------------------------------------------

// -- FEATURED POST -- //

-----------------------------------------------------------------

==> TOPIC: Textbook SEO

"The most important bit from this conversation comes when Matt
discusses Google's use of the description tag that can increase
clicks."

From: Mike Grehan 

Detlef,

I think you somehow missed what really was the "most important
bit".

And that's when Matt agreed with me that it's a "top down thing".
It's impossible to increase your click thru rate with descriptive
text, if you don't get found in the first place. In order for
title tags and snippets to work in the manner you describe, you
need a prominent rank so that you can be found and earn those
clicks.

How many URLs on the fourth or fifth page of the SERPs have a
huge click thru rate because, as you suggest, their title and
description is so compelling? The textbook SEO components you
highlight can provide no advantage whatsoever to a link on a
search engine results page that end users are never likely to
see.

"If the number one listing was crawled and as such remained in
the top spot, Pinot Grigio would be in the title and snippet to
truly capitalize on search impressions."

When I have the time to make the whole (lengthy) interview live,
you'll hear Matt and I talking about that result. And we both
agree that now is the time he needs to look at his on page stuff.
But before that, he may wish to remove the robots.txt file which
is preventing the page from being fetched in the first instance.

I doubt very much whether he gets the clicks he could with just
a bare URL. So a strong title tag would really help boost click
thru. However, as he was already number one without it, the
title tag won't help to boost his ranking any further, will it?

My point, which again is being missed, is that the page is number
one not only without the use of any paraphernalia, but without
ever having been crawled. So, is textbook SEO totally essential
to every page to help achieve a top ten ranking?

Absolutely not. It's possible to do it with, or without.

Cheers!

Mike Grehan.

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------

// -- CONTINUING DISCUSSION -- //

-----------------------------------------------------------------

==> TOPIC: Textbook SEO

Hello Mike,

"My point, which again is being missed"

Links can cause the Google [failure] to happen. The opposite is
also true. Textbook SEO rankings can happen absolutely unassisted
by linking. Consider results with tail terms, specialty search,
sudden indexing and Trusted Feed.

Results with queries having enough qualifier terms can place
number one without any links to the page or site. Specialty
Search rankings, such as local, have very little to do with
linking, and vertical creep brings these matches into Web search.
You can be better than number one (above the natural) without any
links. There's other Specialty Search verticals as well.

The sudden indexing of a site will nearly always show overnight
success. You start with no links to pages. Trusted Feed is
successfully used to help sites that have no representation
because of crawling issues. Again, you have no links to pages
because of the nature of the problem. Trusted Feed is purely
Textbook SEO (Title, Meta data and content), and nothing else.

Stay tuned...
-SearchReturn

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------

==> TOPIC: Middle East SEO

"Can anyone recommend some good sources on information on Middle
East/Arab world search engine usage, regional searcher behavior,
searching in Arabic, etc?"

http://www.searchreturn.com/digest/refs061.shtml

News about a planned search engine covering the Middle East and
the Arabic Language broke a few weeks ago. The engine is backed
by a German technology company, and the statistics are important.
They show a tremendous opportunity for growth with that market.
The growth for Arabic search looks like it may outpace other
major geographic and cultural areas of the world over the next
several years. The search engine will be called Sawafi, and is to
be released by the end of this year. It's launch is expected to
help fuel the growth.

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------

// -- ESSENTIAL NEWS -- //

-----------------------------------------------------------------

==> Yahoo! Search Marketing Upgrade

http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/blog/060508-093509

Essentials: It is been long known that Yahoo! plans a change to
their existing platform to help it compare more with the current
popular AdWords platform from Google. New information is being
provided to API developers that access the Yahoo! system so they
can prepare for the pending release. Although there has been
speculation that Yahoo! will add a "quality" factor to their ad
ranking, the company is not suggesting anything about how it will
work exactly. It can be assumed that search user behavior will be
a factor in calculations.

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Stay Tuned.

Got feedback?: http://www.searchreturn.com/feedback.shtml

Archives: http://www.searchreturn.com/digest-archive.shtml

Alternate formats:
http://www.searchreturn.com/info-formats.shtml

Manage Subscriptions:
http://www.searchreturn.com/help/manage-subs.shtml

Problems unsubscribing? Contact the postmaster:
mailto:postmaster@searchreturn.com

Information on how to sponsor this publication:
http://www.searchreturn.com/help/advertise.shtml

Published by SearchReturn
http://www.searchreturn.com

Website Membership:
http://www.searchreturn.com/register.shtml

The contents of the digest do not necessarily reflect the
opinions of SearchReturn or Detlef Johnson. SearchReturn and
Detlef Johnson make no warranties, either expressed or implied,
about the truth or accuracy of the contents of the SearchReturn
Digest.

Copyright 2006 Detlef Johnson. All Rights Reserved.
-----------------------------------------------------------------