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vangogh
09-03-2008, 02:44 PM
I came across this ultimate checklist for marketing on the web (http://www.searchengineguide.com/stoney-degeyter/the-best-damn-web-marketing-checklist-pe.php) and thought it worth calling attention to.


The checklist covers over 400 specific items over 23 topics. These topics include things such as website development, SEO, usability, accessibility, etc. This list doesn't cover any "how tos," which are essential ingredients to successful online marketing, but sometimes you need to first know what to do so you can then discover how to do it.It's a list pointing out most everything you could and probably should consider when marketing online.

For a quick sample here's one of the shorter sub-lists

Home
No splash page
Instant page identification
Provides overview of site
Site purpose is clear
Robot meta: NOODP,NOYDIRDefinitely worth a look. I'm sure everyone will find a few things that hadn't considered and I'm also sure there will be a few things on the list you disagree with.

There are also currently two more posts taking a portion of the overall list and adding a little more detail. More of these detailed lists will likely follow over the next days and weeks.

Domain Names and URLs (http://www.searchengineguide.com/stoney-degeyter/the-best-damn-web-marketing-checklist-fo.php)
Browser Issues (http://www.searchengineguide.com/stoney-degeyter/the-best-damn-web-marketing-checklist-fo-1.php)

orion_joel
09-06-2008, 01:31 AM
I cannot tell you how many times i have seen people go and do something like get a website setup with a good domain relating to there business, and get the email accounts and all and then go and advertise it as Blablah.com, or email blahbla@hotmail.com. It is maybe one of the things that people need to learn to use.

One thing that i find confusing is the time frame that is suggested for keeping the domain registered, he suggest 5 - 10 years. How does this provide any benefit except that you dont have to spend 5 minutes to renew it every year, and maybe a couple of dollars. From my understanding any registration over 1 year was just something being held by the domain register. as ICANN didn't accept longer then one year registration? I may be wrong though. But this could leave you at the mercy of the domain registry if they went under.

There is a lot more here though so should leave a lot of room for quiet a lor of discussion. Mostly it seems like really common sense, which i do understand a lot of people do not find capable of doing.

vangogh
09-06-2008, 02:56 AM
I hear you about the domain. I think if your in business it's best to use an email ending in yourdomain.com It just looks more professional. It probably depends a little on the business, but I think it's more trustworthy to use a business email.

I don't think the 5-10 years is necessary on the domain. Some people think that how long you register a domain could play a part in search rank particularly at Google. A couple of years ago Google became a domain registrar. They aren't a registrar you and I can use, but it gives them access to some registration information.

The theory is that some who's planning on using a domain to spam will only purchase one year of registration since they expect the domain to be banned before the year's out. So if you register beyond a year then the odds are you aren't spamming. It's kind of silly since domains are so inexpensive, especially if you buy in bulk. If a spammer thought they're odds of looking trustworthy would go up by purchasing multiple years of registration they probably would.

Still if you're planning on being in business for the long run then you plan on keeping your domain long term so why not register it beyond a year. I imagine it could look more trustworthy. It's not expensive and it will save you from having to register every year. Probably not a bad decision, but I'm not sure it's really a necessity.

vangogh
05-12-2009, 01:09 PM
That first buck can be the most difficult one to get. And getting that first one does feel good and gives you confidence you can earn the second.

dynocat
05-13-2009, 10:14 AM
Thanks for the post and link, vangogh. As a do-it-yourself webmaster, the article covers a lots of info. The actual how-to's are easy enough to look up elsewhere.

I did not know about the "Robot meta: NOODP,NOYDIR" tag.

vangogh
05-13-2009, 11:53 AM
Definitely a lot of info in that article. If you search the site more there were some other similar articles on more specific aspects.

With the NOODP and NOYDIR tags remember that you only need them if you are included in the two directories and you don't want either of the descriptions you used in those directories showing up in the snippet for search results.

mbc
05-25-2009, 08:16 PM
great checklist

I still do not fully comprehend the use of these tags:

NOODP and NOYDIR tags

I have never seen any pages for any of my sites come up with snippits and I do not use these tags... by keeping the title and description tags to within the desireable lengths they always get used....

I did some searches just now and could not see any occurance.. I did some reading about these tags also.

but maybe I am missing something significant here..

vangogh
05-26-2009, 01:23 AM
NOODP refers to the Open Directory (DMOZ) and NOYDIR refers to the Yahoo directory. When search engines show listing on their results pages they present a snippet under the link to the site. Search engines have found that people are more likely to click a link (and think the search engine relevant) if some of the words they used in their query are in that snippet. Search engines usually bold the matching words.

Google (I think the other engines do the same) will get that snippet from one of several places. The snippet could come from your description in either the Open Directory or the Yahoo Directory, from your meta description, or from text on the page. They'll choose which based on the query.

Some people don't want their directory description displayed since it's old and may not relate to their current site. If you don't want search engines to use either of the directory descriptions you would use the NOODP or NOYDIR (or both) tags If your site isn't listed in either of the above directories then the tags aren't necessary.

All they do is tell search engines not to show the corresponding directory description, if your site is listed in that directory and you don't want the description ever used in the snippet in search results.

mbc
05-26-2009, 08:29 PM
thanks vangogh

great explanation... it could be of concern to me now....

thanks

vangogh
05-26-2009, 08:48 PM
Glad to help.

Try a few searches for your site where you know you rank and see if the snippet is getting pulled for one of the two directory descriptions. If your description with either Yahoo or the Open Directory is one you like then you may not even need to worry about it.

phanio
06-02-2009, 10:01 PM
One thing that i find confusing is the time frame that is suggested for keeping the domain registered, he suggest 5 - 10 years.

Funny that you mention this as I recently had some confusion with this myself. I recently renewed my domains and was told by my registering company that google ranks site with longer registrations higher. I thought it was strange I was told this but thought it made sense at the time. Based on your comments, I guess they were just trying to up sale me. Can’t really blame them for that. Glad I did not follow their bad advice.

phanio
06-02-2009, 10:08 PM
by keeping the title and description tags to within the desireable lengths they always get used....

First time I have heard about title and description tags needing to be within desirable lengths. Are there length requirements or guidelines for these tags?

vangogh
06-03-2009, 12:36 AM
The idea behind registering domains for longer periods of time gets overblown, but there's some rational thought behind it. The search engines are each registrars. Google doesn't offer domain registration as a service, but they can and they have access to registration data.

I'll speak in terms of Google, though the other engines may do similar. Google has been placing more and more weight over the years on signals of trust and authority. They want to be able to trust the sites they display in search results as do you and I. If you're setting up a spam site or you're planning on using aggressive seo tactics you kind of expect your domain stands a good chance of being banned within a few months. Because of that you probably aren't going to register the domain longer than a year.

On the other hand if a business plans on existing for the long haul they may decide it makes sense to register the domain for the long haul and not deal with the annual renewal and possibly forgetting that renewal.

Of course many honest business still prefer to register and renew domains annually and given how inexpensive domains are spammer can easily register them for longer periods of time.

Registering domains for longer periods of time may be a signal of trust, but it's a weak signal. Should you buy a domain for 5 years as opposed to 1? Sure why not. If you plan on being in business for a few years it can't hurt. Should you expect your rankings to improve dramatically because of it? Probably not. Can it help your rankings? Maybe, though remember this is likely a weak signal of one factor that affects ranking.


by keeping the title and description tags to within the desireable lengths they always get used....

That's not true. Search engines do place a limit on how many characters they will look at in your index. I forget the exact numbers and they vary for each engine. Maybe it's 250ish characters. It's easy to figure out if you count the longest description you see. So you are better off writing meta descriptions within the max allowed characters, but...

Search engines grab the snippet in the search results from one of several sources and it varies based on the query. There is no guarantee it will be your meta description.

Your title tag always gets used as you write it, but again search engines will only display so many characters. I think it's 64, though again it's easy to figure out if you count what you see in search results. Search engines can read beyond the characters they display. They only show a certain amount though.

The general advice with page titles is to keep them short and use your main keyword phrase for the page, preferably towards the front of the title. If your brand is recognizable it might make sense to put your brand in the front of your page title and have your keywords come after.