1. Tips & Techniques for
Search Engine Marketing
An Annual Review
Mark Shay & Clara Gruen
GradSchools.com
NAGAP
Chicago 2005

2. Overview
 Search Engines and Directories Overview
 Improving Rankings in Free Search
Results
 Tools to Help Optimize Pages and
Improve Free Search Rankings
 Blogs for Search Engine Rankings

3. Search Engines vs.
Directories
 Search Engines (Google.com)
 Active
 Database driven
 Keywords
 Portals & Directories (Yahoo.com)
 Static
 Pre-defined
 Human categorizations

4. How Search Engines Work
 Based on relevance to user’s search
 Spiders index web pages
 Algorithm to define position
 Content
 Popularity
 Constantly changing
 Can take steps to improve rankings

5. Improving Rankings in Free Search
 Site Structure & File Names
 Every Page is important - each must be
optimized separately
 Clear Purpose for Each Page
 Title Tags & Meta Tags
 Choosing Keywords
 Web Page Optimization
 Link Popularity
 More Tips

6. Site Structure & File Names
 Important pages at root level
 Meaningful folder names using broad
keywords when possible
 URLs should be as short as possible
 File names including keywords
Think about what will best describe the page
http://www.GradSchools.com/Programs/Accounting.html
 Site Map
 Text links to all pages on site (for spiders)

7. Every Page is Crucial
 Only 30% of visitors to GradSchools.com
enter through the home page
 Most go directly to inside pages based on
the keywords they used to search
 Each page addresses a different topic -
should have unique keywords
 Optimize pages individually to maximize
traffic to each inside page

8. Clear Purpose
 Know the target audience for each page -
know how they search
 Strong cross-linking to related pages
within your site
 Provide links to other related sites

9. Title Tags & Meta Tags
 Title Tags
 Lead with most important keyword (Grad School
Search Guide)
 Include several keywords but be meaningful
 Do not make too long
 Meta Tags
 Robot Meta Tag
<META NAME="ROBOTS” CONTENT="INDEX,FOLLOW">
 Description - Phrase or sentence to describe website
 Contain primary keywords and be readable (appears on
search engines to describe site)
 Keywords - 15-25 keywords that describe the particular
page (or whole site) trying to include
the most popular search terms or phrases

10. Choosing Keywords
 Home Page: Choose 15-25 keywords to include
in meta tags and around five on which to
concentrate the content
 Inside Pages: Choose one or two unique
keywords for each page
 Keywords should be specific to the page, but
also terms that are searched regularly (ex:
chemistry graduate school vs. northeastern
chemistry graduate school)
 Keywords should be in the content - browsers
can’t read graphics.

11. Optimizing Pages
 Content
 First 250 words of the website are highly
valued by search engines
 Paragraph using chosen keywords should
start off each page
 Headline Tags
 Use keywords within Headline Tags
 <h1>Graduate School</h1>
 Images
 Use Alt tags in all images that include
keywords for the page

12. Link Popularity
 How many sites link to you
 Determines relevance to the keywords
 Evidence of quality of your site
 Reciprocal Links
 Link to related site and have them link to you
 Submit sites to directories (human maintained)
 Paid advertising (links to your site)
 Request Links from related sites (non-reciprocal)
 These may perform better than reciprocal links. Text
of link matters - “Graduate School Directory” works
better than “GradSchools.com” in link text.

13. Niche Portals & Directories
 Sector sites specializing in unique content
 Typically require submission - not automatically
indexed
 Often have free listings for all related sites and
upgraded listings for advertisers
 Examples:
 http://www.GradSchools.com
 http://www.Petersons.com
 Good places to advertise to reach a specific
audience - this will increase the number of links
to your site and therefore your Link Popularity

14. Improving Rankings: More Tips
 Update your site!
 Changes are seen by search engines
 Freshness of content is important
 Blogs can help keep site current
 Resubmit your site
 Each time a major change is made, resubmit to
all the major search engines.

15. Improving Rankings: More Tips
 Moving Target - always changes, always
have to update
 Focus pages, keep content heavy and
graphics light
 Use keywords carefully
 Plan ahead - think through file structure
and names to improve rankings
 When building sites - never forget the
business logic behind the technology

16. Improving Rankings: Don’t Tips
 Don’t use redirects
 Temporary solution ONLY for site changes
 Don’t imbed content within JavaScript
 Don’t use frames when avoidable
 Content on page isn’t seen
 Be careful with tables - too much code
reduces how much content the search
engine sees
 Don’t use too many images - rely
on content

17. Tools to Help Improve
Rankings
 Online Tools available
 Web Site Logs
 Search Words and Phrases
 Web site Referrers
 Keyword Suggestion Tools

18. Search Tools
 Google Page Rank
 SEO Toolbox (seo-toolbox.seoinc.com)
 Alexa Tool Bar Rankings
 Scrub the Web Meta Check
 http://www.GradSchools.com/NAGAP for the full
list
 Email your suggestions to
Clara@GradSchools.com

19. Using Your Web Site Logs
 Every time your website is accessed, a log
is kept of user activity
 Logs provide detailed information about
what your site visitors do and how they got
there
 Use logs to evaluate keywords

20. Log Reports Available
 Extensive
reporting options
available
 Numerous
products on
market to
process log
information

21. Search Words
 Shows each word
that was used in
free and paid
searches which
resulted in clicks to
your site
 Includes little
words: “in”, “for”,
etc.

22. Search Phrases
 Shows phrases used to
locate your site
 More valuable than words
alone
 Use to determine what
gets traffic to your
website in free and paid
searches
 Guide decisions on
keyword usages
 Monitor progress

23. Web Site Referrers
 Logs will show sites
that “refer” visitors to
your site
 Use Information to
determine where
your traffic is coming
from and maximize
volume.

24. Web Site Referrers
 Search for
specific type of
domains in
referrers.
 Determine the
schools from
which most of
your visits come.

25. Overture Keyword Suggestion Tool
72,087 -!graduate school
3,352 -!usda graduate school
3,209 - graduate school ranking
2,652 -!keller graduate school
!2,520 -!online graduate school
!2,442 -!scholarship graduate school
!2,323 -!graduate school search
!1,850 -!psychology graduate school
!1,365 -!keller graduate school of management
!1,289 -!graduate business school
!1,054 -!best graduate school
! 988 -!graduate school letter of recommendation
! 896 -!graduate school personal statement
! 893 -!graduate school political science
! 892 -!graduate school grant
! 885 -!high school graduate
! 863 -!top graduate school
! 814 -!graduate letter recommendation sample school
! 784 -!graduate school essay
! 733 -!graduate school rating
! 707 -!graduate school interview
! 654 -!graduate purpose school statement
! 627 -!anesthesiology graduate school
! 561 -!graduate intent letter school
! 524 -!education graduate harvard school
!514 -!claremont graduate school
! 512 - !graduate school for social work

26. Google AdWords Keyword Suggestion
Tool

27. Blogs (Web Logs)
 What is a Blog?
 A “blog” is an interactive journal available 24
hours a day on the internet. A person who
creates a blog is referred to as a “blogger,”
and updating a blog by writing new entries is
called “blogging.”
- From Matisse’s Glossery of Internet Terms

28. Blog Facts
 In 2004, Dictionary publisher Merriam-
Webster named “blog” the word of the
year. “Blog” now appears in the 2005 print
and online editions of the Collegiate
Dictionary
 In a recent report, Pew Internet &
American Life Project found blog
readership increased sharply, up 58%,
between February and November 2004

29. Blogs in Education
MBA Admissions Blog - Wharton Weblogs at Harvard Law School
McGann’s Factor Rhetorica - Professors
MIT Admissions Blog who Blog

30. What can Blogging do for you?
 Share information quickly and easily -
updating content regularly increases
rankings in the Search engines
 Search engines love blogs - extensive
content, all relevant to a particular topic
 Drive traffic directly into specific pages on
your site - increases links to pages - Blogs
seen as high quality links (for link
popularity)

31. Summary
 It’s all about keywords
 Sites should be designed around Google
searchability
 Search sophistication increases - what was once
2 words is now 3-4 word search phrases
 What are appropriate keywords for your pages?
 How do you rank on appropriate keywords?

32. Summary Cont.
 Align Title, Meta, Headline Tags and
keywords in page text
 Seek links that include keywords in the link
text
 Experiment with keyword advertising
(focus on less competitive terms)
 Monitor progress, track search phrases
and trends

33. Questions?
MShay@GradSchools.com
Clara@GradSchools.com