Thanks for asking!
I've looked closely at your site, and have some suggestions that may
help bring it up in the rankings. These aren't so much SEO "tricks" as
a long term approach that will help both visitors and search engines
make the most of your website.
As tested today, your site ranks:
237th for "las vegas weddings"
426th for las vegas weddings
Keyword Density
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These days, search engines read and analyse your webpages in context.
They "guess" the purpose of the page by what you write, and where you
write it.
To see your homepage as the search engines do, let's run this Keyword
Density Analyzer and look at the results together.
KeyWord Density
http://www.searchengineworld.com/cgi-bin/kwda.cgi
Enter your URL in the textbox (www.weekirk.com), then uncheck the
boxes that are marked Include Meta tag keywords, and Include Meta tag
descriptions (meta tags are not used in Google analysis). Press the
Analyze It! button.
You'll see that the page is optimized for the single word keywords:
wedding
vegas
chapel
Two word keyphrases:
wedding chapel
vegas wedding
And three words keyphrases:
kirk 8217 heather
vegas wedding chapel
heather wedding chapel
packages elvis weddings
vegas wedding packages
wedding chapel vegas
You'll want to rework your main paragraph to emphasize the keyphrase
that you wish to target. In fact, I'd recommend that you also add a
landing page for Las Vegas Weddings i.e.
www.weekirk.com/las-vegas-weddings/las_vegas_weddings.html
On this page you'd talk about Las Vegas Weddings, what they are, why
they're special, why customers should chose Wee Kirk of the Heather
for -their- Las Vegas Wedding (benefits), etc. This should be both
persuasive sales copywriting, as well as following generic SEO
guidelines.
Use the keyphrase once in the title, once in the description tag, once
in a heading (H1), once in the URL, once in italic and/or bold, and
once high on the page in the text. Density should be roughly between 5
and 15-20%. The key: No other keyphrase should be used with greater
frequency. 25K max page size, less if possible.
This landing page (more detail below) might end up outranking your
original home page, or move back and forth in the rankings. It will
also help your site withstand minor changes in the search engine
ranking algorithms, which are adjusted periodically.
The guidelines can also be applied to your home page. Change the page
title to: Las Vegas Weddings - Wee Kirk o' the Heather. Individual
words beyond name and keyphrase are not helpful, unless used in
sentences or as "people friendly" descriptive titles. Extra words
"dilute" the effectiveness of targeting. Use the keyphrase in a
heading, and add it as <alt> text for images, where appropriate. Your
header image, for instance, could display <alt> text reading Wee Kirk
'o the Heather - Las Vegas Weddings. Other <alt> text could include:
Beautiful Bouquets for Las Vegas Weddings, Classic Floral Arrangements
for Las Vegas Weddings, Las Vegas Weddings are the best!, Las Vegas
Weddings with Elvis. Again, the key is people friendly information,
rather than seach-engine specific writing. Apply the phrase in a
variety of natural language sentences.
To learn more about SEO writing techniques, I recommend skimming the
archives of RankWrite Roundtable. Articles and discussions offer
helpful, on point tips. Topics include: "How do I position my
keyphrases within the body copy?", "Resubmitting newly optimized Web
pages," and keyphrases, all the time!"
RankWrite Roundtable Past Issues
http://www.highrankings.com/archives/archives.htm
RankWrite has been superseded by HighRankings.com. Jill Whalen offers
an excellent weekly (free) newsletter, High Rankings Advisor.
High Rankings Advisor Subscriptions
http://www.highrankings.com/
You can help your rankings by making some changes to emphasize your
desired keyphrases, however, don't over optimize, either. Over the
past six to eight months, search engines have been weeding out sites
that are too close to the standardized formulas. Write for people, not
for the search engines.
Page Size
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Several of your site pages are quite long. The chapel information is
fascinating. But you'll get better search engine results if you break
down the information into individual pages, covering a "smaller slice"
on each one. For instance, a listing of all your packages is great,
and you'll want to retain that page, but you should also include a
page for each individual package. Concentrate on your keyphrase(s) on
these individual pages.
Internal Linking
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Search engines look at internal linking structures first. You can help
concentrate PageRank in your home page by making several changes to
your internal links. Link your homepage from every other page in the
site. Twice. In fact, from a usability standpoint, it's useful to link
your logo graphic to your home page. As is, only your sitemap links
back to that all-important home page.
I also suggest that you consider changing the text "Our Great
Packages" link to read "Las Vegas Wedding Packages".
External Linkage
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Google is showing 113 external links to www.weekirk.com.
://www.google.com/search?q=links:+www.weekirk.com&filter=0
Additionally, 218 pages use the term: weekirk.com
://www.google.com/search?q=%22weekirk.com%22&filter=0
To raise your ranking via external links, you might wish to offer your
linking partners standardized text that contains your keyphrase(s) in
several different versions, from 3 words to 50 words. It's always a
good idea to know who is linking you, and how. Add a simple page
(linked on the Site Map) that demonstrates your links. Make the page
offlimits to search engines with your .htaccess file.
You should establish
That Landing Page
----------------------------------------------------------------------
If you want to immediately see effects of being shown on the page for
the keyphrase Las Vegas Weddings, buy a vowel. Or actually, placement,
via AdWords. Devote a small portion of your advertising budget to
AdWords. Use your newly created landing page. Be willing to make small
changes to the landing page until you find the the optimal copy.
Don't leap into AdWords blind, however. There are techniques you'll
want to utilize to maximize your advertising dollars.
Top 12 Tips To Writing Effective Google AdWords Ads
http://www.mikes-marketing-tools.com/marketing-tips/google-adwords.html
Google Paid Placement Strategy
http://www.increaseranking.com/adwords-article2.html
Google Paid Placement Review
http://www.increaseranking.com/adwords-article1.html
Mastering Google AdWords (eBook)
http://www.masteringadwords.com/mastering/order.htm
Link to Press and Offline Marketing
-----------------------------------
Whenever possible, link press mentions of your business. Articles and
mentions can also be scanned and added to your site as graphics, with
explanatory text. You'll need permission for endorsements, of course,
however, this strategy creates a powerful tie between online and
traditional promotions.
"See our ad for Las Vegas Weddings in ABC Magazine" is another
strategy to promote your online keyphrase linked to your overall
marketing plan. Advertising publications may also offer reciprocal
links.
Sustained high rankings are a long term job. They don't happen
instantly. Make one change at a time, measure your progress, add
content, and focus on being supremely helpful to your customers.
Rankings will follow.
Optimization Tools and Resources
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Check Your Google Position and Ranking
http://www.googlerankings.com/index.php
Webpage Size Checker
http://www.searchengineworld.com/cgi-bin/page_size.cgi
Spider Simulator (see your webpage as the Search Engines do)
http://www.searchengineworld.com/cgi-bin/sim_spider.cgi
Keyword Density Analyzer
http://www.searchengineworld.com/cgi-bin/kwda.cgi
Validate Your HTML (Recommended!)
http://validator.w3.org/
Successful Site in 12 Months with Google Alone
While not every step is applicable to your situation, here's the bible
on building a successful website from the ground up. No get rich quick
scheme, it explains the details (and dedication) necessary for
excellent results.
Successful Site in 12 Months (free registration may be required)
http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum3/2010.htm
Webmaster World (free or paid membership) - Webmaster World offers
no-bull Webmaster and SEO information. Ask questions, or just read
along in forums geared for individual search engines, and search
products. Many experts.
http://www.webmasterworld.com
For the ultimate in insider info, try Search Engine Watch. Danny
Sullivan is considered one of the Web's foremost experts on Search
Engine operation and optimization.
Search Engine Watch
http://searchenginewatch.com/
Answer Strategy
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I prepared this answer from personal bookmarks, and well known SEO
expert sites. The information provided is based upon personal and
professional experience as a web designer, working in tandem with
search engine optimization specialists.
Should you have questions about the information or links provided,
please, feel free to ask.
---larre |
