Vol. 1 No. 3 Fall 2006
5 Minutes With ...
5 Minutes With. Chris Humber
Director of Search Engine Optimization
You've been handling search engine optimization for 360i for more than five years. What has changed with optimizing sites today compared with several years ago?
Today, SEO is no longer just a technical discipline. SEO not only requires an understanding of SEO best practices but also requires a through understanding of clients' business objectives, online marketing principles, and insight into other online media initiatives such as paid search or display. Back when 360i was founded, SEO specialists were optimizing for completely different algorithms such as Northern Lights and AltaVista. Those were less sophisticated than the search engines we know today and it was much easier to deceive search engines. Anyone can read 'Search Engine Watch' or any of the other SEO related resources to learn best practices, but that alone won't be enough to achieve first page rankings, and more importantly, increased conversions.
How do you use RSS (Really Simple Syndication) for optimization purposes?
RSS, the feed format that can be used for publishing blogs and any regularly updated content, allows for greater distribution of content across the web, and with so many data aggregators that rely on it, you can increase brand visibility, traffic and inbound links via RSS distribution. Consider creating specialized content that encourages webmasters and users to subscribe to your feed instead of reproducing content already available on your site. Focus on providing useful information and resources, and be sure to identify your primary keyword phrases, leveraging those terms within anchor text links that point back to the most relevant page on your web site. Depending on how sites choose to publish your RSS feed, your site could benefit from inbound links, which will increase rankings across the major search engines.
What offerings by the major search engines should marketers leverage to better their natural search rankings?
I recommend taking advantage of every opportunity. Search engines are constantly evolving and testing new user interfaces and improved methods for displaying search results, which have an impact on how natural search results are displayed. Over the course of the last two years, we've seen the integration of Google News, Froogle, Google Base, local results and expanded results (or quick links) to encourage usage of these new services while improving natural search results. Participation in services such as Google Sitemaps (recently renamed to Google Webmaster Central), Google Base, Yahoo! Paid Inclusion and various beta programs such as Google Co-Op can influence your natural search placement.
