How to use PageRank for ecommerce websites

30-second summary:

The PageRank still exists and here’s a deeper look at how Google’s Reasonable Surfer Model plays a key roleA well thought linking strategy both internally and externally for your ecommerce site can amplify search visibilityGoogle expert, Susan Dolan and Founder of leading agency NOVOS, Samuel Hurley share an ecommerce SEO guide ahead of the holiday season

PageRank is a patent Google introduced, which used links to help determine websites rankings in the SERPs. The algorithm was named after Google founder Larry Page.

The original patent has not been renewed and has since been updated by other algorithms, which work to achieve the same goal. However, by understanding the fundamental principles, we can better understand how to position our eCom sites to drive traffic and revenue.

PageRank key concepts

PageRank is passed between websites through links and can be distributed through a single website with internal links.

Some pages have a higher PageRank than others and thus can pass on more PageRank to pages they link to. When a page links to another, a dampening factor is applied. The original patent set this as 0.85 – so a page with a PageRank of one, linking to another page would pass 0.85 PageRank.

Key update: the Reasonable Surfer Model

Google’s Reasonable Surfer Model indicates that a link that is more likely to be clicked on will pass more PageRank than a link that is less likely to be clicked on. This is determined by a whole host of factors, including font size, color, and anchor text. However, the position of a link on a page is also something that we often have control over as SEOs and that we can, therefore, leverage.

Here is a simple, rather crude representation of how certain links will pass more/less PageRank based on the prominence of a link and how likely it is to be clicked on.

Build external links through to key pages

As linking pages pass PageRank, it stands to reason that we want to generate backlinks to key pages that we want to rank. For most ecommerce sites, the pages that rank for the highest volume and most revenue-driving keywords are category pages.

Wherever possible, we should therefore look to use tactics that support link building through to the pages that drive revenue, which for most sites looks something like:

Category pagesProduct pagesHomepageBlog posts

This is obviously easier said than done. Practicing these tactics with an overall aim to drive PageRank to your key pages. This reduces the dampening factors at play.

How to get past this

One common way to bypass this difficulty in building links to category pages is internally linking to key category pages we want to push from blog posts/Digital PR pieces that then get links themselves.

Although the PageRank passed to the page we ideally want to rank will undergo a dampening factor, this can still be more beneficial than failing to get any links at all to your target page.

It is worth considering how relevant the category page is to the blog/PR piece it is being included on, as well as where the links are placed on the page, being mindful of the impact the Reasonable Surfer dampening effect can have.

1. Build links from pages with high PageRank

As any Digital PR will know, high authority pages or pages that have lots of PageRank to pass onto your own site are some of the most sought-after links to attain.

Most of the time, this is actually viewed at a domain level, however as is demonstrated in this great review of how PageRank works by Majestic, a domain that should theoretically have a high PageRank can actually be significantly decreased at a page level by its own internal linking.

One caveat for Digital PR teams in this regard is not being too reliant on domain-level metrics as a proxy for links that pass a lot of PageRank and are thus good for ranking. Exactly which pages have high PageRank is nigh-on impossible to know, and although an over-reliance on third-party tools is never optimal, they may be the closest we can get to figuring out PageRank passed by a specific page, rather than a domain.

2. Build links from relevant sites

As part of the Reasonable Surfer Model, it suggests that a link is less likely to be followed if the links are unrelated to the document:

“This reasonable surfer model reflects the fact that not all of the links associated with a document are equally likely to be followed. Examples of unlikely followed links may include “Terms of Service” links, banner advertisements, and links unrelated to the document.”  (Source)

As a result, building links from sites that are of higher relevance to your own site, is likely to pass more PageRank.

3. Remember it is not just about the number of links

Due to how PageRank is calculated, the PageRank value passed by one site can be drastically higher than the PageRank passed by the culmination of 1000s of others combined.

This is why the reliance on the overall number of links can be misleading.

Use internal linking to spread PageRank

We need to consider a few different methods while identifying pages that will benefit the most from ranking and how you pass PageRank around an ecommerce site:

Link to pages you want to rank from pages that have high PageRank themselvesLink to pages you want to rank more frequently throughout the siteGive links to pages you want more prominently ranked

1. Link to pages you want to rank from pages that have high PageRank themselves

Pages that have high PageRank, from which we can assume to be the pages most linked to from external sites, can be used to pass PageRank to – 

Homepage linking

The best example of how you can do this is through the homepage. The homepage for most websites tends to be one of the most, if not the most externally linked to page on a site.

This means that in terms of PageRank, the homepage has the most to pass on to other internal pages.

By carefully selecting which pages you link to from the homepage, and therefore pass the high levels of PageRank to the key pages you want to rank.

2. Link to pages you want to rank more frequently throughout the site

Another method to consider is how frequently you link to the most important pages you want to rank.

Considering that each page can pass PageRank on – this stands to reason that if a page is internally linked to more frequently, it is likely to pass on more as compared to a page less internally linked to (although obviously influenced by the PageRank of the linking pages).

Therefore, you should be considering where you can add internal links to ensure that important pages are linked to more frequently, including:

Global navigation

Due to being outside of the main body content of the page, we can reasonably assume there is a dampening factor applied to links in the menu. However, given its role in navigation, this is likely to be far less than in the footer. 

Therefore, since the global navigation is, as the name suggests, linked globally from every page on the site, the sheer number of links that will be passing PageRank is likely to funnel to those pages included in the navigation. These should therefore be the key pages you want to be ranking.

Breadcrumbs

As long-time fans of breadcrumbs at NOVOS, their benefit of passing PageRank to key pages should not be underestimated, due to the frequency with which different levels of pages are linked to.

The benefit of breadcrumbs on ecommerce sites (outside of usability benefits for the customers) is that they pass PageRank up to the core pages that generally rank for competitive keywords. They are typically helpful to rank the categories.

Most ecommerce websites have a pyramid structure with the homepage at the top, followed by some core categories, an increasing number of subcategories, and lots of product pages. By implementing breadcrumbs on the site, you use the pyramid structure to your advantage (both SEO and CX wise). Since every product page will link up to its relevant subcategories and category, and every subcategory will link through to its relevant category.

In this sense, you distribute internal links as an inverse pyramid, concentrating the highest number (if we disregard the homepage) on the core categories that are the pages generally targeted for high volume keywords. In this sense, your ecommerce site stands a great chance of receiving large amounts of PageRank from internal links.

Product pages also generally are easier to build links to and also naturally generate them. The higher PageRank product pages can distribute upwards, the greater is the relevance – which implies lesser chances of suffering significantly from dampening factors.

Hierarchy of ecommerce site structure and how PageRank can be transferred

Footer

Based on the Reasonable Surfer Model we can assume that the PageRank passed by footer links is significantly impacted by dampening factors. However, the fact that these links are site-wide may mean that there is some benefit to including important pages in the footer for the accumulation of PageRank.

3. Give links to pages you want more prominently ranked

As the Reasonable Surfer Model applied to the likelihood of a link being clicked on a page, it is therefore worth considering whereabouts on a page. This could also mean considering page templates in general links.

For example, in a content strategy, where multiple blogs are being written on a given relevant topic to support a category page, linking to the category page early in the article, with clearly related anchor text, is likely to drive more PageRank than right at the end of an article. On a case-by-case basis, this distinction may appear trivial, however, on an ecommerce site with hundreds and thousands of blogs, the PageRank passed in total may be significant.

Susan Dolan is a Search Engine Optimization Consultant first to crack the Google PageRank algorithm as confirmed by Eric Schmidt’s office in 2014. 

Samuel Hurley is the Founder of NOVOS, Global SEO Agency Of The Year 2020 and 2021.

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How to get buy-in from the C-suite

30-second summary:

Often SEOs and search marketing managers struggle to convey value to the board which hampers funding and support for relevant strategy implementationThere are three aspects you need to balance in order to win over C-suiteKevin Indig, Director of SEO at Shopify helps you navigate these crucial conversations

Your best ideas aren’t worth a dime without funding. What’s the key to funding? Executive buy-in! To understand how to get buy-in, you need to know your audience: the mighty C-suite.

Executives are busy, stressed, and care about three things and three things only – 1. Market share 2. Revenue 3. Talent. They want to know if the company is capturing more of the market, makes more money, and has the right people. Mind you, a healthy team and culture are part of talent.

So, whatever you need funding for needs to have a direct line to one of these three factors. Only a few projects can live outside of these and provide enough strategic value to be considered. Everything else gets a friendly head nod and then collects dust in backlog hell. Relevance is important!

But your success will also depend on strong storytelling. Think about it like packaging. A sports car needs a nice chassis, an iPhone needs a classy box, and your presentation needs a capturing narrative.

Designing a narrative

Stories are how we retain information. I’m not going to give you the whole spiel about how humans told stories around fire camps and painted the walls of caves. Let’s just say our brains still connect information with stories because they trigger emotions. We imagine ourselves to be part of the narrative. It even triggers certain parts of the brain – as if we were really in it!

Storytelling has two key components: a problem and a solution. The problem needs to be big, timely, and relevant. You don’t want to cut the problem definition short but take your time showing what the root issue is, its magnitude, and how it is connected to other problems. This is called issue framing. In the end, your audience should think “We need to take care of this right now!

Emphasize the problem with data or a strong construct of reasoning. The executives should be able to see the issue in one paragraph or on one slide without too much explanation. This is an important data visualization challenge. Problems often come down to a simple display or something not trending in the right direction or being too small/large compared to something else.

Seek to connect the issue to a larger goal of the organization or an existing problem. This is easier to grasp than dealing with a completely new problem. Plus, connecting your problem with another one has a carry-over effect of relevance. Suddenly, your point is top of mind.

The solution to the problem can be a set of prioritized actions or an outcome. Just like the problem, keep the solution simple. “Here are three things we’re going to do about it.” Show the time horizon and resources you need to solve the problem. You should be able to show one to three metrics to measure progress against the solution to give everyone an understanding of success.

This is how data and storytelling play together to lead up to a coherent narrative.

Building trust

Ideally, you gain the executives’ trust over time to get the point fairly quicker and not have to develop a full pitch every time. Trust comes from keeping commitments. Following through. Keeping your word.

That’s why one of the best things you can do after a successful pitch that leads to funding is to follow up with progress and results. Showing things turn out the way you said they would displays to executives that they can rely on you.

On the other hand, not following up can stick out negatively and lead to uncomfortable questions during your next pitch. Even if results are not coming in, reaching out and showing you’re on top of it goes a long way.

Emotions matter as much as data

By now, you’ve realized that getting C-suite buy-in depends as much on evoking the right emotions as it does on data.

Be careful with evoking too much fear, it can lead to paralysis and panic. Be careful with too much excitement, it can come across as naive and unserious. Aim for just the right amount.

One factor that helps is timing. Bringing the narrative up at the right moment means executives are primed to listen and be open to understanding. That could be annual/quarterly planning or when the company hits a pivotal moment, but also strategy shifts or personnel changes in the C-suite.

Another factor that helps, are advocates and champions of your pitch. Talk to someone before you pitch and ask them for feedback. When people co-create, they get invested in the outcome.

Kevin Indig is Director of SEO at Shopify. He is also the creator of Growth Memo. You can find Kevin on Twitter at @Kevin_Indig.

Subscribe to the Search Engine Watch newsletter for insights on SEO, the search landscape, search marketing, digital marketing, leadership, podcasts, and more.

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Why Use A Realtor When Selling Your House?

house for sale

There are numerous benefits to selling your house to a realtor. You may have sold other types of the property before and will be confident in your ability to sell a house. Real estate is not as simple as selling the house on your own. A realtor can present your home most professionally, as well as be knowledgeable enough to know where to advertise your place.house for sale

A realtor is familiar with houses that have been recently sold, so she will know how much work or expense is involved after you sell your home. A realtor is also trained to deal with banks and understand their rules about selling a house. This can cut down on the hassle of trying to sell your home independently and avoid additional fees.  

Many people assume that they do not need a realtor when they sell their house. However, there are many benefits to listing your house with a realtor. Realtors have an extensive amount of knowledge of properties and will make sure your house looks attractive. They can also find buyers for your property, which is extremely beneficial if you are looking to sell your house for a exceptional price.

Once your house for sale has been listed with a realtor, she will assist in preparing it for showings. She will prepare your house with the lighting and furniture fixtures, as well as the landscaping and staging of the front yard. Your house will be made to appear appealing and ready to sell.

When you hire a realtor to help you list your house for sale, you will be spending less time than if you attempted to sell your house on your own. This is because a realtor has a large amount of experience in selling houses and will be able to save time. Realtors will also be aware of the market and will know if your house is a good candidate to purchase. If you decide not to sell your house on your own, it will take you months to bring it up in front of potential buyers. A realtor will save you from this lengthy process.

One of the benefits of having your house for sale through a realtor is that they are able to list your house for sale with the most amount of publicity possible. There are several ways to advertise your house, but a realtor will know which methods work best depending on where you live. For example, if your house is being advertised in a newspaper, your realtor may choose to post signs in and around your neighborhood in order to maximize exposure.

Another benefit is that a realtor is experienced in finding qualified buyers for your house. In most cases, it will cost more to list a house for sale through a realtor. This is because a realtor will have a large number of people working on your sale and will have to spend time contacting them. They can also help you find qualified buyers for your home, as they will have many leads to work with. They can easily find interested buyers and set up meetings with them in order to close a purchase and finalize all the necessary paperwork and house inspection prior to putting your house for sale in front of potential buyers.

It doesn’t matter if you plan to sell your house yourself, use a realtor, or if you’re going to hire both a realtor and buyer. Having a professional who knows how to market your house is very beneficial and will help you sell your house quickly. Selling your house on your own takes time and can be very stressful. Hiring a realtor will ensure that you have buyers interested in your house in a very short period of time. No matter what method you choose to sell your house, hiring a professional realtor will give you great results and make selling your house easier than ever before.

What Is SEO?

What Is Included in SEO?

SEO meaning

How to know what SEO is? Want to know about SEO techniques and how to use them in your online business? Wondering how to get the most from your SEO campaign? This easy-to-read guide has made this easy to educate you on all about SEO meaning, SEO strategy, and SEO traffic.

 

What is SEO? SEO is short for Search Engine Optimization. SEO is an important aspect of any Internet marketing campaign. SEO means ranking high on the natural or organic search results for a particular key phrase or word. This naturally means an increase in website traffic and potential sales.

 

Why are they important? Web admins and business owners understand the importance of SEO to their websites and Internet businesses. In today’s world, it is becoming increasingly difficult to remain visible to a target audience. As a result of this growing need to connect with web surfers, search engines are increasingly banning websites that are not optimized for search engine results.

 

SEO plays a critical role in search engine ranking algorithms. Google, for example, rewards sites that are optimized for specific keywords. Thus, having relevant content that uses appropriate keywords in the title, description, and meta tags can help to achieve higher rankings with the search engines. SEO also requires website owners to submit unique and interesting content and create compelling pages with relevant links and white hat SEO strategies that target internal linking components and employ methods to improve the rankings of internal pages.

 

Why should you care about SEO? SEO offers several benefits. First, search engines reward unique and informative content, which will help your site gain higher rankings in the organic search engines. Second, when you optimize your site for search engine optimization, you will attract more organic traffic and have an increased chance of making sales. Third, having high-quality links to your site will also boost your rankings.

 

What exactly is SEO? Search Engine Optimization, also called SEO, is a set of marketing practices used to increase the visibility of websites on the internet and make them easy to find and understand by potential customers. SEO consists of several processes: creating and using unique keywords, optimizing the website for the various search engines, and submitting the website to the major search engines. This will increase the chances of a person searching on the particular keyword linked to your site. On the other hand, a low SEO rank can decrease your chances of gaining organic traffic. The process of SEO is divided into three basic stages to help with understanding:

 

On-Page SEO or on-page optimization includes creating keyword-rich content, designing appealing and user-friendly websites, and using Meta tags, alt tags, keywords in titles, images, and videos. Off-Page SEO or off-page optimization includes using directory submissions, writing press releases and SEO articles, social media marketing strategies, directory submission, posting to blogs, and building keyword-rich ads. Content writing and posting have been proven to be one of the most effective SEO techniques to increase traffic. SEO experts say that the key to a successful SEO campaign is to mix both on-page and off-page SEO. In addition, the goal is to build one’s own backing portfolio.

 

To obtain the best SEO result, one must always remain honest about the nature of his business and seek any possible penalties that may result from his actions, such as paying for spamming or artificially inflating search engine results. To optimize your website, always keep a close eye on the organic statistics and update them as necessary. A company that consistently maintains its website’s organic position is guaranteed to enjoy the free search engine results, targeted organic traffic, free targeted traffic, organic backlinks, high conversion rates, and more. Organic SEO can provide instant results for you while also providing long-term success. Do your due diligence now, before your competitors do!