Research . Study Questions

Findable URLs, Sitemaps, and Analyzing with Google . week eight

June 3rd, 2010

1. Identify methods for creating search engine friendly URLs.
Dynamic web pages created using PHP, JSP, or other dynamic languages results in ‘dirty URLs.’ Dirty URLs include unintelligible combination of characters and letters that do not relate to the website content as the reader would recognize it. The problem with these URLs is that they are difficult for the user to remember and find again without bookmarking, and search engines cannot connect the URL to the content on the page. Not only search engine unfriendly, dirty URLs pose a security risk since the URL information can lead hackers into your database. Cleaning dirty URLs creates search engine friendly and safeguarded URLs.
Some browser cleaning methods include mod_rewrite for Apache and ISAPI Rewrite for IIS. Mod_rewrite is a flexible tool that uses regular expressions for patterns of its rule-based matching system. ISAPI Rewrite is another URL manipulation engine that uses regular expressions, but designed for Microsoft. Both of these options involve complex expressions and are difficult to learn. Another option for cleaning URLs is content negotiation. Content negotiation allows the developer to remove extensions from files in the URL and source. When the browser sends information about the resources it wants or can accept to the server, and this information is then used, along with the server choices, to dynamically determine the content and format that should be transmitted. Content negotiation allows for the disappearance of extensions from source code, markup, and typed URLs and does not alter the server information.
Taking the time to create findable URLs can greatly reduce frustration with visitors and increase your search engine ranking.

2. What services does Google offer that might help drive traffic to your site?
Google offers many tools for webmasters and others to manage and monitor their websites. Some of these tools that can help drive traffic to your website include:
AdWords keyword tool – This tool allows you to input keywords and find similar keywords that are rated based on competition and amount of searches. You can also input a URL and get recommended keywords based on the website content. These keywords will help increase findability based on what users are searching and what competitors have included on their website.
AdWords – This tool allows your to create online advertisements that appear in Google’s search pages, related to the users keyword searches, and target these users based on their search. You can buy keywords and guarantee increased search visibility, driving more traffic to your website. There is some technique to creating an AdWords advertisement that can help increase the success of your ad.

3. How might a web page site map assist search engine listing?
XML Sitemaps tell Google about pages on your website that might or might not be discovered automatically. Built as a list of pages on your website that link to each respective page, the Sitemap directs the search robots to all the pages on your website. According to Google’s Webmaster Tools, XML Sitemaps ensure that Google is aware of all the pages on your website, even the pages that might be overlooked with Google’s crawling process.
Once you have created the Sitemap using the Google XML Sitemap generator tool, you should submit it to Google and other search engines so they know it exits. This process may increase the rate at which the search engines crawl your site. Also, you should resubmit your website every time the site is updated so the search engines are notified.
Other than submitting your Sitemap manually through Google or other search engines, you can submit your Sitemap using the robots.txt file. Place the following line of code in robots.txt file, substituting the URL path to your own Sitemap:
Sitemap: http://example.com/sitemap_location.xml
note: code from Google Webmaster Tools Help
Google will read this link and find your sitemap. Links are what search engine robots read best, so a web page Sitemap is the prime location to provide all the pages of your site. Your website becomes more relevant to the search engine and thus increases site rankings.

Resources:
‘Search Engine Friendly URLs – URL Rewriting’ by Thomas A. Powell and Joe Lima on SEO Consultants Directory
‘Creating and Submitting Sitemaps’ on Google Webmaster Tools Help

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Web Traffic Analysis Tools and Understanding Data . week seven

May 28th, 2010

1. Identify and compare the popular web traffic analysis tools on the market
Monitoring the popularity or findability of your website can be very elusive without tools to collect and analyze the data. Using web analysis tools can help you discover important information about your audience, what they are reading, what drives them to the site, and what makes them leave. These tools can also determine what is not working on your site or what is driving your users away. Watching the statistics and understanding how to read the information can be a valuable way to improve your website.
Some of the popular web traffic analysis tools on the market include:
a. Google Analytics, a free and easily accessible tool. Google Analytics allows for customization of the information and dashboard; advanced customization of data reports and information; e-commerce tracking; and tracking conversion goals.
b. Mint (haveamint.com), is a simple, legible, and logical data analysis tool that is easily extensible. Although not free (it is $30 per domain), it is a very powerful and easy to use website analysis tool. A very unique feature is its one-page interface with modules of tracking stats that you can customize to access and read data.
c. VisiStat is a free web analysis tool that allows real-time tracking with graphical and intuitive reporting features. Some features on VisiStat include heat overlay of user activity tracking, conversion tracking, bounce rate tracking, live data streaming of web visitor information, email alerts that notify of specific web activity and warns when site becomes unavailable, among other analysis information.
d. Webstats PRO involves real-time tracking of the similar analysis features, including click-path analysis, campaign tracking, complete traffic monitoring. Webstats PRO also tracks campaigns and conversions, observer visitors and trends, and click paths.

All these tools are very useful so choose the one that works well and intuitively for you to increase your website’s productivity.

2. What information about web site traffic might be most important to track?
With the large amount of information gathered in these website traffic analysis tools, it is difficult to understand what is the most important data to observe and read for your site. Although the data to analyze differs for each site, some of the most important points to watch are the traffic sources, including referring site traffic, search engine traffic direct traffic. With the search engine traffic it is important to understand and utilize the keywords that users searched to land on your site. Utilizing these keywords in your website will increase the chance of return visitors and new visitors looking for similar information. Learning what pages that re viewed by each visitor and knowing what pages are most popular can help you mold your content to the most popular information, making your site more popular. Click Data and navigation data that reveal how your users move through your website are also useful statistics that affect your website. It can also help your make corrections and improve your website based on areas of frustration or roadblocks for users.

Another useful analysis advanced feature of Google Analytics is its ‘Website Optimizer.’ The Optimizer allows you to test different content to determine what information your users find most useful. This feature directly increases conversion and increases return visitors.
Although understanding the users who stay on your website and follow your content is extremely useful, it is also important to understand your website’s ‘bounce rate.’ Bounce rate exposes how many visitors leave the site as soon as they enter the website. Although not a ‘fun’ statistic, the bounce rate can show flaws in design, content, or organization on certain pages. This information will allow you to understand exactly where to improve your website.

When using website traffic analysis tools, know how to filter through the data and make the information work for your site. The data can help mold your website into a findable and useful tool for your users.

Resources:
‘Analytics Toolbox: 50+ More Ways to Track Website Traffic’ by Cameron Chapman on Mashable: The Social Media Guide
Building Findable Websites by Aaron Walter

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Microformats (nothing micro about ‘em) . week six

May 21st, 2010

1. What are microformats and how might they potentially help sites be more effectively indexed by search engines?
Microformats are a set of methods using semantic HTML and CSS to markup contact, event, and other common information so that machines can read and utilize this information productively. Microformats allow a user’s machine to capture important information so that they can remember people, events, and places. For example, if you put your personal contact information, such as name, phone, email, website url, etc., in microformat code, users can download your information straight into their contact lists.

Microformats wrap contact information, event information, and other data-driven info in standard HTML and CSS selectors that are easily identifiable with machines. To provide info in one format that both humans and machines (search engines) can read provides a useful resource. Currently there are databases that hold hCard, hCalendar and other microformats on the web and search engines are just beginning to index this content. If search engines harnessed the power of standardized microformats, their algorithms could distinguish an event from contact info from a recipe, etc. The search indexing would be much more precise and provide users with more exact results from their searches. The sites that use microformats to provide specific would be more findable and would rank higher in search engines when users search for their information.

2. What microformats might be most useful for your sites?
There are many microformat uses including contact information, event information, recipe information, and reviews. For a personal blog or website, microformats for contact information, resumes, and events are the most useful. hCard uses ‘vcard’ CSS selector to provide name, address, website URL, phone number, birthday, location, and other contact references. hCalendars uses the ‘vevent’ class to indicate that the information provided contains details like the start date and time, location, and other event information. Combining hCard and hCalendar microformats can provide valuable information for users to reach you easily. Once your user finds your contact information, instead of writing it down and eventually forgetting about it, the format is easily downloadable to the users machine so they will never forget you!

/Sample Microformat hCard code
<div id="hcard-Jane-Doe"> <span>Jane Doe</span> <div>JDesigns</div> <a href="mailto:jdoe@email.com">jdoe@email.com</a> <div>1234567890</div> <p style="font-size:smaller;">This <a href="http://microformats.org/wiki/hcard">hCard</a> created with the <a href="http://microformats.org/code/hcard/creator">hCard creator</a>.</p> </div>

/translates as
Jane Doe
JDesigns
jdoe@email.com
1234567890

3. Who created the microformats movement?
Web designers have been creating their own unique combinations of markup with class selectors and names for many years. The microformats movement started when Eric Meyer, Tantek Çelik and Matthew Mullenweg discussed the idea at a South by Southwest Conference about how a small code indicator could connect people who know each other. This discussion led to the first microformat in the XHTML Friends Network (XFN) and is still growing.

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