Mac SEO Blog

Video Transcript

When it comes to placing links on our page, the anchor text, or the phrase that you can click on that takes you to the destination page, plays a far greater role than most people imagine. For example, let’s do a Google search for the term “click here.” You will notice that the first result is for Adobe Reader. No where on the Adobe site does click here appear, yet it ranks number one for the term. The reason for this, is because many other websites, including very high authority sites such as educational institutions, link to this exact page, and the anchor they use is “click here.”

I want to show another good example of anchor text that will really illustrate how the anchors influences the results in searches. As you can see here, this particular anchor is actually a typo. Instead of typing AppTorial, this webmaster accidentally typed in AppToria. Also take note of the destination URL for this link. Let’s see what happens when we search for the term AppToria in Google. You will notice that in the results, the exact page that had the link for AppToria appears. No other page on the AppTorial site appears for this search term.

When you make your site, keep this SEO tip in mind. When you link to other pages on your website, avoid using common phrases like click here or anything similar to it. Instead, use some of the keywords and phrases that you have written down. So for example, if I want to send my users to my page that talks about left handed golf clubs, I will type in “left handed golf clubs” highlight the string of text, right click and select Add Link. Then, I will link to the appropriate page on my site.

Video Transcript

The content you place on your site will have a large impact on your search engine rankings, as well as your ability to obtain incoming links.  Each page on your site should contain content in the form of text. Ideally, you should have about 250 to 500 words on each page. In that text, you should make it a point to include the key-terms that relate to that specific page. Do not overload the text with those key-terms too many times, but use them when it is appropriate to do so. Within your text, it might also be a good idea to link to highly regarded sites that are relevant to what your page and key-terms are about. This allows search engines to relate the pages you link to with the content on your site.

A blog is a fantastic place for you to add some content to your website without having to create another page. Adding content on your blog adds freshness to your site, and shows search engines that the site is still being looked after. Search engines put a lot of emphasis on the natural growth of content on a site. So adding new content to your site, will over time improve its search engine ranking.

When writing your content, keep in mind that you should always avoid having duplicate content on your site. This means no copying and pasting articles from other sites, and no taking your past articles and simply re-wording them. Remember to write content for your users, and not for search engines. Like mentioned earlier, overloading the text with key-terms will be annoying to your users. Lastly, make sure you double check your spelling and grammar. This is very important because this could influence your link-ability.

Coming up with a domain can be a difficult challenge. Determining whether to use keywords, or business names in your domain name can be a tough decision. This tutorial will discuss this issue, and hopefully guide you in the right direction. Even if you already have a domain name, it can be a good reference for any future domain names you plan on purchasing. Remember to register to view the entire SEO course, and to ensure you are watching the most updated video tutorials.

Video Transcript

Many of you may already own your own domain name, but for those who don’t, or for those who are considering buying a new one, there are a few things that I want to discuss with you.

When choosing your domain name, you have two options. The first option is to make your domain name something along the lines of your company name. The other option is to have your domain name contain one of the key-terms you have recently researched. You will see that as I flip through these websites, some have company names as domains, while others have key-terms. Some sites even have a combination of both.

If your company name is already branded, it will make most sense to include the name in your domain. If you are able to include keywords in your domain, it certainly will not hurt you when it comes to rankings. Including a key-term in your domain will give search engines another indication as to what your website is all about.

I wouldn’t put too much debate into deciding whether to use a company name or a key-term as the domain. The domain is something you will not be able to change. If you can’t make up your mind, I would suggest using your company name over a key-term. The reason for this is because your company name most likely won’t change, similar to how you won’t be able to change your domain.  You also want something that has the potential to become a branded name. A key-term doesn’t not give you that opportunity.

While it may be an added bonus to have the key-term in your domain, it won’t make too much difference in the long-run. And like mentioned earlier, you can always do the combination of both company name and key-term.

When you are deciding on what domain to use, you can use the domain checker on our site at www.ragesw.com. Although they are not easy to remember, domains with dashes separating the words are easier for search engines to differentiate between the words in the phrase.

If you already have a domain, and have been concerned with its brand-ability, don’t worry about getting a new one. It may benefit you to use the one you already have as many people believe new sites struggle to rank for the first 6 to 9 months, almost as if they must pass a probationary period before search engines trust them.

In this video, we’re going to show you how you can add an image map made in MapDesign to a RapidWeaver 5 website.

Video Transcript

There are two types of image maps that you can make in MapDesign. A Simple map, and an Effects Map. This tutorial is going to show you how you can add a Simple Map to your RapidWeaver website.

After you have created your image map, you will need to export the image map by pressing the Export To Web Site button. Make sure Simple Image Map is selected and press the Next button and save your image map.

Once you save your image map, you will notice that you have an index  file, as well as an images folder that contains your image.

Open RapidWeaver and add a new page. Make sure you select the HTML Code page. Next, open the images folder, and drag and drop the image into the Resources section.

Now open up the index file in an HTML editor so that you can see the code. Highlight all of the code that is within the opening, and closing body tags. Copy this code, and go back to RapidWeaver, and paste the code in your HTML Code page.

Locate the image path, and replace images with resources just like I have done.

When you press the preview button, you will see your image map, and you can test to see if it works by clicking on the hotspots.

Macworld Expo 2011 was a great success for RAGE Software this year. The entire show was extremely well attended, it was difficult to walk through the hall at certain points. Our booth was packed for pretty much the entire 3 days, leaving very little time for rest. We heard that this year’s Expo had more companies exhibiting than last year which is a great sign for the future of the show.

Overall we are extremely happy with how the show went. We talked to existing customers, met some new ones and demoed some of our new software which will be released in the coming months. We got great feedback on our entire product line. It is always great to hear face to face stories on how our products have helped!

We have published a Macworld 2011 Photo album on our facebook page. Check it out to see how busy the show actually was. Hope to see everyone back there in 2012!

Once again we will be exhibiting at Macworld Expo 2011 in San Francisco from Jan 27 – 29. Come stop by our booth (#448) to take a look at some of the great new products we have lined up for 2011.

If you have questions about our SEO Software, SEO Training Courses, or Web Hosting stop by and we would be happy to help!

We are very excited for this year’s Macworld and hope to see you there!

If you have an iWeb website and always wanted to start a mailing list, now you can with MailShoot, the fully featured newsletter and email management software.

MailShoot will let you instantly create an online sign up form for your iWeb website without any technical skills on your part. MailShoot can publish a signup form to your website with just a few clicks.

Once your sign up form is on your iWeb website you can start collecting emails. Then you can send email updates to all, or certain segments of your list. Check out this video tutorial which shows you exactly how to create your sign up form and publish it on your iWeb website.

If you have just started an iWeb website and are looking to get more visitors to your site, check out our SEO for iWeb Walkthrough tutorial.

To wrap your text around an image in iWeb, you must remember to insert the image into the textbox. The following video tutorial will demonstrate this, along with the common mistake that many users make when trying to wrap text around an image in iWeb. Remember to check out our SEO For iWeb video tutorial to learn how to make your iWeb website rank higher in search engines.

Video Transcript

In this video tutorial, I am going to show you how to wrap text around an image in iWeb. Before I show you the proper way of doing it, I am first going to show you a common mistake people make when wrapping their text around an image.

The first thing I am going to do is insert my image by selecting Insert in the Menu bar, and then going to Choose. This isn’t the only way to insert an image, but it will do for this demonstration.

Now that my image has been inserted, you will notice that I can move it around and place it wherever I want. I’ll open the Inspector and then the Text tab, and then the Wrap tab. Now you will notice that the Object Causes Wrap option cannot be selected. This is the problem that many users face. Here is how we solve it.

First, I’m going to delete the image that I just inserted, and now I will click within the text box, and reinsert the image again.

So now that the image is within the textbox, I will once again open up the inspector, and you will notice that the Object causes wrap option is no longer greyed out and I can now select it. I can also choose to align my image left or right.

I can also move the image in the textbox, and make it bigger or smaller.

And that’s how you wrap your text around an image in iWeb.

People from all over the world are using Google to find what they are looking for. Whether it is products, services or information, everything they want to know can be found by “Googling It”.

If you have a business located in Canada that can only service customers locally, what good does it really do you to show up for a searcher in Australia. They can’t use your products or services so you shouldn’t have to care whether or not an Australian user can find you when they search.

With your Google Webmaster Tools Account and your XML Sitemap file, you can actually target only local users. Meaning when a Canadian searches for your website you are more likely to appear for them than if an Australian searches for your website. You can do this by clicking a single checkbox in your Webmaster Tools account.

Watch our step by step video tutorial to find out how;

Make sure you have created and submitted your XML Sitemap file. If you want more tips and advice we have our step by step walkthrough SEO videos which explain everything you need to know about optimizing your website for the best possible search engine rankings.

Apple today announced an update for iLife with some very cool new features to iPhoto, iMovie and Garageband. However, iWeb has not been updated at all.

When you buy iLife 11 you will get iWeb v3.0.2, the latest official release from Apple. This has been posted on Apple’s website on the iLife 11 Store Page. Scroll down near the bottom of the page and you will see;

What’s in the Box

• DVD containing iPhoto ’11, iMovie ’11, GarageBand ’11, iWeb (v3.0.2), iDVD (v7.1)
• Electronic documentation

I know many people were waiting for an iWeb update, unfortunately nothing is new with iLife 11.