47 replies to this topic

[fred]

I like that thinking

You are always competing with only 10 sites , they simply rotate some times

[Jill]

I think it might be Sharon & Roy who like to say that.

Jill

[Scottie]

You are always competing with only 10 sites , they simply rotate some times

That's Mel's wise saying...

[torka]

FWIW, I found the post where Mel said it, so y'all can read the original if you like...

http://www.highranki...topic=456&st=15

Also, Jill, you might want to note that S&R in this thread (look a few posts after Mel's) argued at least somewhat against this line of thinking. Apparently, as near as I can make out after several readings, those who follow Mel's line of thinking Don't Quite Understand the Intricacies of Keyword Analysis. Or at least we're Going About It In An Inefficient Manner.

I guess that's really the trick to all this, isn't it? The techniques of optimization are pretty much out there for anyone to see (you simply decide for yourself how much you want to "push the envelope" and how much risk you can tolerate). The real rub is: how to figure out which keyphrases are worth shooting for in the first place... and there seem to be about as many different answers as to specifically how to go about this as there are different SEOs.

--Torka

[Randy]

Wooohooo! WTG Torka. I tried to find that thread yesterday because I recalled it being closely related to this discussion, but for the life of me couldn't remember enough of any one post correctly to search it out. I'm glad someone could find it again. Well done.

There are some real gems back there in the older threads. Older being less than three months ago on that one.

[ldcdc]

Yes... I found that thread enlightening too.

When trying to figure-out whether a keyword is worth the effort or not, I try to look at all of these:

1. The number of searches (popularity) - that's the demand from a marketing point of view.
2. The number of pages appearing for "those keywords" - that's the offer
3. The actual SE results. (I set Google to give me 30 results/page so I don't have to push "Next".)

I must say that I look to how different the results are with or without "". I keep in mind that I'm trying to get a top 10 rank for the searches without "" so I use that list of results to evaluate my chances of getting a top 10 rank.

Initially I concentrate on the pages listed 1st and 2nd in rank.

I look at the results as they're listed in Google. Do the titles contain the keywords? Do the keywords appear in the description? That's a sign of SEO work being done.

Then I open the pages. I look at the text on the page. Does it contain the keywords? Are they used in the right order (as people search for them) or they're simply scattered on the page? That helps to figure-out if they've been optimised. (I try to asses whether or not I could do better for on-page factors.)

I also look at the PageRank of that page. I do a backward links check. I try to find if their backword links contain keywords. Do they trade links?

Also, is that page the homepage? Often when it comes to home pages, the external factors (in ranking) have a lot to do with how well that page ranks for certain keywords.

I usually like to see some SEO work. That means someone could make there. If I do what they did (excepting spam) in time I can get there too. And what they did is usually obvious.

There are a lot of other things I look at, but these crossed my mind right now.

Feel free to correct me where I'm wrong and to add your own ideas. I'm really curious to see how you measure KEI.

[Jill]

Thanks for finding that, Torka!

And Dan, it sounds like you've got a good method for determining the competition. Very nice!

Jill

[fred]

can anyone reach the link, I can't

[fred]

they both work now ,
it was probably my connection

thanks

[ldcdc]

No, it wasn't just your connection Fred. It did not work for me either and I'm in Europe. Now they work for me too.

thanks idcdc

Glad to be of help well.

Edited by ldcdc, 12 November 2003 - 01:09 PM.