FEATURE: Online Marketing Manager's Guide to Moving Your Site's Content
by Christopher Hart, December 15, 2008
There are a number of necessary steps every online business should take to properly move content from one location within your Web site to another or from one site to another, without destroying your search engine optimisation achievements. You may already have one or more of these steps in place, but there are webmasters who may not know to take all of the proper steps and instead just jump into moving content elements as though there were no negative effect to such actions. The truth is search engine rankings and site traffic may suffer.
If you owned a brick and mortar store, would you just move your high margin items on a whim? Would you allow your stock person to rearrange how your shelves are organized without any thought to the repercussions it will have on your bottom line or your customer? The answer is "NO WAY" — and things are not any different with your online business.
In speaking to the online business community, there are different concerns to address than the considerations your search engine optimisation team might have. In many blogs or newsletter strings, people will talk directly to SEOs to gain tips on how to avoid disaster. Unfortunately, such conversations can fail to explain what the marketing manager needs to understand to capture and maintain as much ROI as possible. This article will attempt to bridge the conversation between both audiences, with special attention given to business related issues.
Step 1: Before moving any online content, always start with a review and analysis of the original site.
As a marketing manager this sounds obvious, right? But not everyone takes the time to dig through the data. Some are all too eager to just send off the initiative and to allow the IT and marketing departments to run with it. Well, just like you would not allow your stock person to rearrange your store, you don’t allow anyone to rearrange your site without knowing the repercussions of the changes.
The first task is to contact your analytics department. You want to know how users get to your site, what the top entry and exit points are, what pages generate the most traffic and which pages have the most inbound links.
The second task is to contact your webmaster or IT department. You want to get a complete picture of your site's physical architecture, virtual linking and navigation structure, directory and URL structure and a complete count of your content elements. Then you need to know what is changing, and why.
Step 2: Develop a process to collect and log URLs that deliver a 404 error page.
The 404 error page is displayed whenever a user asks for a page that’s not available or doesn't exist on a site. 404 error messages explain to search engines as well as users that the server could not find the page that was requested.
As a marketing manager it is important for you to know exactly what is causing your users to not find what they are looking for. It amazes me how many sites don’t have a 404 page, let alone a way to log the pages that were not found. What if you received a huge traffic spike, but the URL that is linking to your site was mal-formatted. What then? If you don't have a 404 page then you just annoyed a bunch of users. If you have a 404 page, you just slightly annoyed your users. But if you are logging and watching the 404 error log, you can create a page where the mal-formatted URL was sending users and have that URL 301 redirected to the correct location. This allows you to be alerted to where your users are getting stuck and take action to help them get to the proper location on your site. This will always equal higher conversation rates.
If you do not already have a 404 page, the third task is to work with your marketing and design teams to develop a 404 page that will be useful to your users. Only telling the user "The Page You Are Looking For Was Not Found" is not very helpful. Try listing your site's top sections or topic pages. If you sell things on your site, list the top-selling products or put your coupon advertisements on this page. If you have a site search function this would be a good place for it to be front and center. Whatever you do, never just leave your users here — you need to give them options to help find what they are looking for.
The fourth task is to work with your IT department to make this page live and to have them set up a system to log the pages users were looking for that caused the 404 page to be displayed. Having a 404 page without knowing what caused it is not going to help you fix the underlying cause.
Step 3: Develop a complete XML Sitemap of the original site.
Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a specification of a custom markup language designed to transfer text and data. An XML Sitemap acts like a map of all the pages on your site and is not intended for use by a human user. Instead, search engines use an XML Sitemap to show them where your content is. Without one you are missing an opportunity to proactively say it is okay for the engines that find your site to spider it. What if you have sections of your site that are not well indexed or linked to? Do you just give up or isn’t it part of your job to expose that information to the engines so that your users may have a fighting change to find it when they search?
The fifth task is to work with your IT department to have an XML Sitemap developed and placed on your site. You can learn how to create your XML Sitemaps at http://www.sitemaps.org/. One of the first things a search engine spider looks for on your site is the robots.txt file, so use the robots.txt file to point to the location of the XML Sitemap. You should also know that you can only have about 50,000 entries in your XML Sitemap, but you can have multiple XML Sitemaps. With multiple XML Sitemaps even a content heavy site you can list every URL. Along with listing each URL, you have the ability to say when the page was updated last and to give it a priority level reflecting its importance to the site.
Step 4: Develop 301 redirects from old URL formats or locations to new site locations.
A redirect is a piece of code or script that communicates to the browser or search engine spider that instead of the URL being specified, an alternate URL should be loaded. Rather than loading the originally targeted URL, a redirect will cause a specified page to load instead. There are several different types of redirects, but for our conversation will focus on the 301 redirect because it is the most search-engine-friendly redirect.
As a marketing manager it is important for you to know that there are several different types of redirects, but only the 301 redirect acts as a redirect for permanently moved URLs. In response to a 301 redirect, the search engines transfer link popularity from the old URL location to the new URL location. Using any other type of redirect is like going to the bank and telling them not to worry about giving you the interest you have earned.
The sixth task is to work with your IT and network admin departments to develop properly formatted 301 redirects and to test them before moving the content.
The Final Step: Make sure all the prior mentioned steps and tasks are working together!
Once a site's content is moved or the new site is pushed live, you should post the original site's XML Sitemap in the new site's root directory. This way when the engines come to your new site, they will be instructed to go to the old URLs. In doing so they will re-spider those old URLs and find that they have been 301 redirected to the new locations. That will instruct them to not only update their index, but also to pass any link popularity to your new URL locations. Constantly monitor your 404 error log as this will let you know if and where your users are getting stuck or where you may need to develop additional 301 redirects.
Remember, as the marketing manager it is your job to know this and to not assume that the IT, network admins, marketing and design department will be keeping track of 404 errors on your site. You must take the lead and bring the sum of your team’s efforts together.
For permission to reprint or reuse any materials, please contact us. To learn more about our authors, please visit the Bruce Clay Authors page. Copyright 2008 Bruce Clay, Inc.
BACK TO BASICS: Travel Guide for International SEO
By Virginia Nussey, December 15, 2008
When planning a vacation to another country, smart travelers first do their homework. They talk to others who have visited or may know the region. They buy a couple books to acquaint them with the language, culture and local interests. And they fill their suitcase with the most appropriate clothing for the climate and footwear for the terrain.
Smart marketers, before embarking on an international search engine marketing campaign, will also undertake the needed planning to prepare themselves for success. The major considerations of an effective search marketing campaign abroad center around domain name considerations, hosting and site architecture solutions, language and culture, and geolocation issues.
Have a Good Map
During your first visit to a new country, nothing is quite as helpful as a good map of the area. Likewise, when entering a new market, have a well-planned PR strategy to help you navigate the terrain. Hire a qualified consultant whose expertise lies in the region you are targeting. Their knowledge of the language and culture of the region will be an on-going resource for your international efforts and they will be able to steer your organization clear of common traps, such as cultural sensitivity and translation issues. They will also be able to help you get the most out of your presence in the country or region, for instance, directing your South American campaign to the countries with the highest rates of Internet adoption such as Brazil.
You can jumpstart your international campaign with a little homework of your own. For example, if you're interested in marketing your product to English speaking regions, find the countries with the highest user statistics by examining sites like http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm. This site has detailed information about the number of Internet users, the rate of user growth and the percentage of Internet penetration by region and country.
You may also want to use a search proxy to find out who your local competitors are and what search results are given to a searcher in that region. A search proxy feature will be available in our new SEOToolSet and SEMToolbar, to be released next year. With this information you can focus your campaign, narrow down targeted languages, and build your global brand and presence based on concrete facts and figures.
Pack Smart
Like the way your suitcase contains everything you will need on your journey and holds the way you will present yourself in the new location, your site represents your organization's presence in the new locale. Make sure to pack your site full of everything your users will need to understand your services and what your organization can offer them. There are a number of considerations that fall under this category.
Language and Culture Considerations
Language and culture are at once clear and nuanced. Plug a phrase into an automated language translator and this is obvious. While the direct translation of a word may be correct, the usage and context of that word may be incorrect and easily stand out to a native or fluent speaker. Different words that share a definition may not be interchangeable in all contexts. The same is true for different types of spellings, popular cultural references, local terms and common associations. One recommended solution to the dealing with the fine distinctions that fall under language and culture is to use a professional translating service. But even then, subtleties of language may be overlooked.
One such example I've heard from a conference speaker occurs when marketing copy is translated into Japanese. In the Japanese language, two sentences could have the same meaning but, depending on the exact words used, a feminine or masculine voice can be distinguished. A Web page selling a product marketed to men should utilize the masculine voice. Failing to do so could put-off male readers who would otherwise be interested in the product. The reverse is also true.
Rather than translating copy word for word, turn the original copy into dry bullet points. From there, those bullet points can be translated into bullet points in the target language. At that point, a marketer who works in the target language can breathe life into the copy, resulting in the right facts being communicated through an authentic local voice. You'll also want to be aware of writing conventions such as the date format, weights and measurements and the format of numbers.
In the interest of helping you focus your international SEO efforts, here are the top languages used to search online, beginning with the most often used language:
- English
- Chinese
- Spanish
- Japanese
- French
- German
- Arabic
- Portuguese
- Korean
- Italian
Site Architecture Issues
The way you organize your site can have an impact on the way users navigate the site and the way search engines index and rank your site. One common concern of organizations with multiple sites in different languages is duplicate content. However, at last month’s PubCon, Google representative Ben D’Angelo repeated what Google representatives have said before: if you distinguish content — even in the same language — using the appropriate country code top level domain (ccTLD) or a sub-domain, duplicate content filtering will be avoided.
Each country has its own rules regarding domains and hosting, both of which play a role in the way a search engine ranks a site for relevance. For instance, there are countries where the number of domains a single company may own is limited to 20. Some countries require a company to have a physical presence in the company in order to purchase a top level domain there. If possible, it is best to have a ccTLD and local hosting for your site. The top level domain is a major signal to search engines of a site’s geographic relevance.
When deciding on your site's architecture there are several different options, with the right fit depending on your organization's needs and priorities. The most common site architecture solutions are the one site approach, where each country-specific portion of the site is located within a sub-domain or directory; the multiple site approach, in which each targeted country has its own site using the appropriate ccTLD; and a blended site approach, keeping general global concerns on the international portion of the site and country-specific content on country-specific sub-domains or directories. For the advantages, disadvantages and challenges of each, read more about international site architecture considerations on the blog.
Make Local Connections
The sign of a real traveler is the relationships they form abroad. A traveler that makes a point not to stay within the circle of tourists and instead ventures out to the true-to-life experience of residents and natives will have the most meaningful journey. Online, local connections are communicated to the search engines through links.
Links, as always, are an important facet of your international SEO campaign. In essence, by linking to and receiving links from local organizations aligned with your site’s focus or specialty, a search engine will recognize your site’s relevance for a query done in the target country and assign credibility to your site. The most authoritative links will come from sites with the same ccTLD and language used on the site.
Find an Expert to Guide You
Much of what I’ve learned about international SEO is from hearing experts speak at search marketing conferences. There are several options available to a marketer interested in learning about search marketing considerations in a specific country or region. But regardless of how you approach your international SEO education, learning from cultural and technical experts is a must. While I can't vouch for any of these providers, these are a few starting points as you begin your search for the best resources to fit your needs and goals.
Asia
More than half of the world's population lives in Asia and the growth rate of Internet penetration in the region is booming. Bruce Clay, Inc. recently opened an office in Tokyo in order to better serve the Asian search marketing community. You can also find information on Internet marketing in the Asia Pacific region by visiting sites like Asia Search Academy (Singapore), Robert J. Steiner (Singapore), Internet Marketing Coach (Hong Kong), trainSEM (India), and the site of U.S.-based Japanese Internet marketing consultant Motoko Hunt.
Australia
Bruce Clay Australia is based out of Sydney and SEO training is offered twice a year. TrainSEM Australia, Semultra, and Search Tempo also offer training courses across the country.
Europe
Europe is a large continent and every country has its own considerations. To start your research, you can try the following Web sites: Alza Management Institute (online course), Weboptimiser (England), RingJohn (England, Ireland, Italy), and
Internet Marketing Scotland (Scotland).
Central and South America
Brazil has one of the fastest growing Internet populations in the world and Latin American markets are quickly finding their way to the Web. You may want to beginning your education of Latin American markets by attending Search Engine Strategies Latino, which is geared for U.S. Hispanic companies targeting U.S. Hispanics, U.S. American companies targeting U.S. Hispanics, U.S. Hispanic and American companies targeting Latin American markets, and Latin American companies targeting Latin American, U.S. Hispanic and American markets.
North America
Canada can be a good international market to enter if you're looking for a country that is nearby and has a large English-speaking population. Check out the Search Engine Academy.ca (Ontario, Quebec), Uniseo (Quebec), and Reachd (British Columbia).
Before You Go
Before you enter an international market, be sure you've done your due diligence. Like a traveler entering a new land, know the customs and preferences of the culture, or at least find a native guide who is experienced and trustworthy to tell you about them. Find out about domain regulations, don't cut corners on content translation, construct your site in the most search-friendly way, and make sure your site is seen by search engines as geographically relevant via hosting, linking and top level domains. Also, it's always a good idea to test the waters by starting with a low-cost pilot program. Get to know your market, be there for the right reasons, and you could end up watching the rewards roll in.
For permission to reprint or reuse any materials, please contact us. To learn more about our authors, please visit the Bruce Clay Authors page. Copyright 2008 Bruce Clay, Inc.
| |
