Video production tips: Minimize noise and movement. To create highly optimized videos
you must start with the original, high-quality video files.
You can think of video creation as a war against unnecessary digital noise in your
content. The more noise in your video, the less it can be compressed, and the larger
the final result. The less movement there is, the lower the noise; and the less fine
detail in the background, the smaller the video. Here are some tips on creating highquality
videos that optimize well:
• Minimize camera motion with a tripod if possible.
• Minimize subject motion.
• Use a lot of light.
• Use a simple background or blur the background (avoid background movement).
• Avoid camera pans and zooms.
• Use professional equipment.
• Use a digital format.
• If a tripod is not an option, use a gyroscopic
Monday, September 29, 2008
Optimizing Videos For The Web
Optimizing videos for the Web
Movies optimized for the Web should be short in duration, small in dimension, and
optimized with the appropriate codec. We have seen videos 10 to 30 minutes long automatically
loaded and playing into home pages, some 50 MB to 175 MB in file size.
Although this may grab the attention of high-bandwidth users, it is better to respect
your visitors’ bandwidth and provide a static placeholder image and a play button.
Take a look at the Apple.com website for an example of a best practice regarding
showcasing video to a potentially wide-range audience (http://www.apple.com/
trailers/). Apple takes the approach of allowing users to choose different size movies
to better match their bandwidth abilities. Sizes from “small”(320 × 240 pixels) to
“HD”(1,920 × 1,080 pixels) can be viewed. Overall, this was a lot of up-front work
for Apple; it had to compress one movie many different times, into many different
sizes. However, the extra work pays off with satisfied site visitors who are able to
find content that meets their needs and the amount of bandwidth available to them.
Movies optimized for the Web should be short in duration, small in dimension, and
optimized with the appropriate codec. We have seen videos 10 to 30 minutes long automatically
loaded and playing into home pages, some 50 MB to 175 MB in file size.
Although this may grab the attention of high-bandwidth users, it is better to respect
your visitors’ bandwidth and provide a static placeholder image and a play button.
Take a look at the Apple.com website for an example of a best practice regarding
showcasing video to a potentially wide-range audience (http://www.apple.com/
trailers/). Apple takes the approach of allowing users to choose different size movies
to better match their bandwidth abilities. Sizes from “small”(320 × 240 pixels) to
“HD”(1,920 × 1,080 pixels) can be viewed. Overall, this was a lot of up-front work
for Apple; it had to compress one movie many different times, into many different
sizes. However, the extra work pays off with satisfied site visitors who are able to
find content that meets their needs and the amount of bandwidth available to them.
Reciprocating Links
Reciprocation: Repaying an obligation. Humans feel obligated to repay a gift from others.
Reciprocation is a social norm that obligates the recipient to repay a favor in the future.
This ensures continuing relationships which sociologists say is beneficial to society.
On the Web, you can use reciprocity and rewards to increase the likelihood that customers
will provide you with their contact information. You can use free online tools
and multimedia downloads to induce the recipient to give her contact information.
You can also request contact information from your customers before the fact, in
exchange for content. Site owners often trade a free white paper for an email address,
for example. Reciprocation in the form of asking for contact information after the
fact has been shown to be more effective in getting detailed contact information than
reward (asking for contact information before the fact).
Reciprocation is a social norm that obligates the recipient to repay a favor in the future.
This ensures continuing relationships which sociologists say is beneficial to society.
On the Web, you can use reciprocity and rewards to increase the likelihood that customers
will provide you with their contact information. You can use free online tools
and multimedia downloads to induce the recipient to give her contact information.
You can also request contact information from your customers before the fact, in
exchange for content. Site owners often trade a free white paper for an email address,
for example. Reciprocation in the form of asking for contact information after the
fact has been shown to be more effective in getting detailed contact information than
reward (asking for contact information before the fact).
Adwords optimizing
Advertisers should test multiple ads to fine-tune campaigns and find out what is
effective. For this purpose, AdWords offers optimized ad serving. This means advertisers
can circulate multiple ads at once and Google will automatically start to circulate
“better-performing”ads more frequently. In this approach, AdWords optimizes
performance automatically, based on a performance algorithm developed by Google.
The problem with optimized ad serving is that it is not sufficiently sensitive to random
variation. In other words, one ad can often get ahead completely by chance.
Such an ad will appear more frequently than the others and this can skew performance
data. It is possible to have ads with identical ad copy circulating at different
rates because one was “outperforming” the other!
In general, avoid circulating better-performing ads more frequently, especially in the
middle of an experiment. To optimize your ad group, you want to decide which ad
has the better CTR as soon as possible and circulate that ad 100% of the time.
effective. For this purpose, AdWords offers optimized ad serving. This means advertisers
can circulate multiple ads at once and Google will automatically start to circulate
“better-performing”ads more frequently. In this approach, AdWords optimizes
performance automatically, based on a performance algorithm developed by Google.
The problem with optimized ad serving is that it is not sufficiently sensitive to random
variation. In other words, one ad can often get ahead completely by chance.
Such an ad will appear more frequently than the others and this can skew performance
data. It is possible to have ads with identical ad copy circulating at different
rates because one was “outperforming” the other!
In general, avoid circulating better-performing ads more frequently, especially in the
middle of an experiment. To optimize your ad group, you want to decide which ad
has the better CTR as soon as possible and circulate that ad 100% of the time.
Choosing the right keyword sets
Use keyword research tools, a thesaurus, and search queries to generate more root
terms that are unique. Search terms that are harder to find will have less competition.
AdWords’ tool and Wordtracker’s Keyword Universe can help you find new
terms to target. Refer to Chapter 1 for more details on Wordtracker. Perform
searches to find other keywords that competing sites target in their HTML titles and
body text. This technique may uncover new terms. Staying on top of industry news
and events can help you find new keywords to target. You should continually try to
think of new root terms to add to your campaigns.
In the course of your keyword research, you will probably find terms that you are not
sure you want to bid on or that you want to block with negative keywords. Instead of
doing nothing with these keywords, you should bid on them using a lower maximum
CPC than you used for more successful terms. If you do not bid on such a keyword
directly and if you do not block it, another broad-matched keyword will
probably display ads for it. The performance of the broad-matched keyword might
be made worse by the borderline keyword. You can always decide to block borderline
keywords later.
Keyword research is one of the more creative aspects of PPC. Typically, you will find
that only a small group of terms generates most of the traffic on a site as well as most
of the conversions. But discovering those
terms that are unique. Search terms that are harder to find will have less competition.
AdWords’ tool and Wordtracker’s Keyword Universe can help you find new
terms to target. Refer to Chapter 1 for more details on Wordtracker. Perform
searches to find other keywords that competing sites target in their HTML titles and
body text. This technique may uncover new terms. Staying on top of industry news
and events can help you find new keywords to target. You should continually try to
think of new root terms to add to your campaigns.
In the course of your keyword research, you will probably find terms that you are not
sure you want to bid on or that you want to block with negative keywords. Instead of
doing nothing with these keywords, you should bid on them using a lower maximum
CPC than you used for more successful terms. If you do not bid on such a keyword
directly and if you do not block it, another broad-matched keyword will
probably display ads for it. The performance of the broad-matched keyword might
be made worse by the borderline keyword. You can always decide to block borderline
keywords later.
Keyword research is one of the more creative aspects of PPC. Typically, you will find
that only a small group of terms generates most of the traffic on a site as well as most
of the conversions. But discovering those
Adwords seo google quality score
AdWords Quality Scores
AdWords uses “Quality Scores”to determine where an ad will rank. The higher your
Quality Score is, the higher your ads will rank. AdWords also has Quality Scores to
determine distribution on the content network and to calculate the minimum bid
required to compete in an auction on the search network. The search network and the
content network comprise the Google network. In some cases, data used in Quality
Scores is pulled only from Google and not the Google network. According to Google,
this is how Quality Scores are used (https://adwords.google.com/support/bin/answer.
py?answer=10215).
Google calculates a keyword’s minimum bid using:
• The keyword’s CTR on Google; the CTR on the Google Network isn’t considered
• The relevance of the keyword to its ad group
• The quality of your landing page
• Other relevance factors
To calculate a keyword-targeted ad’s position on a search result page Google uses:
• The matched keyword’s CTR on Google; the CTR on the Google Network is not
considered
• The relevance of the keyword and ad to the search query
• Other relevance factors
To calculate a keyword-targeted ad’s eligibility to appear on a particular content site,
as well as the ad’s position on that site, Google uses:
• The ad’s past performance on this and similar sites
• The quality of your landing page
AdWords uses “Quality Scores”to determine where an ad will rank. The higher your
Quality Score is, the higher your ads will rank. AdWords also has Quality Scores to
determine distribution on the content network and to calculate the minimum bid
required to compete in an auction on the search network. The search network and the
content network comprise the Google network. In some cases, data used in Quality
Scores is pulled only from Google and not the Google network. According to Google,
this is how Quality Scores are used (https://adwords.google.com/support/bin/answer.
py?answer=10215).
Google calculates a keyword’s minimum bid using:
• The keyword’s CTR on Google; the CTR on the Google Network isn’t considered
• The relevance of the keyword to its ad group
• The quality of your landing page
• Other relevance factors
To calculate a keyword-targeted ad’s position on a search result page Google uses:
• The matched keyword’s CTR on Google; the CTR on the Google Network is not
considered
• The relevance of the keyword and ad to the search query
• Other relevance factors
To calculate a keyword-targeted ad’s eligibility to appear on a particular content site,
as well as the ad’s position on that site, Google uses:
• The ad’s past performance on this and similar sites
• The quality of your landing page
google sand box penalty
The Google Sandbox and Penalty Box
For a new site on a new domain, Google can delay ranking the site for months. Traditionally,
this has meant that a new site couldn’t seem to rank well for much beyond its
own domain name. After a few months, Google decides that it can “trust”a new site
and can let it rank for other things. This delay for new sites to be indexed is called the
Google Sandbox. Google can also penalize sites that try to game the system. Although
this has a similar effect, it is not the same thing because an older and even trusted site
might get penalized (we call this the Penalty Box, which can cause a gray PageRank bar
in Google’s toolbar). To get out of Google’s dog house, you need to remove the worst
practices discussed in this section. After you’ve cleared your site with Google Webmaster
Central (http://www.google.com/webmasters/), you can apply for inclusion again.
For a new site on a new domain, Google can delay ranking the site for months. Traditionally,
this has meant that a new site couldn’t seem to rank well for much beyond its
own domain name. After a few months, Google decides that it can “trust”a new site
and can let it rank for other things. This delay for new sites to be indexed is called the
Google Sandbox. Google can also penalize sites that try to game the system. Although
this has a similar effect, it is not the same thing because an older and even trusted site
might get penalized (we call this the Penalty Box, which can cause a gray PageRank bar
in Google’s toolbar). To get out of Google’s dog house, you need to remove the worst
practices discussed in this section. After you’ve cleared your site with Google Webmaster
Central (http://www.google.com/webmasters/), you can apply for inclusion again.
Building links with online promotion
Now that your website is keyword-optimized, it is time to build up your inbound
links. Promoting your site to build more inbound links than your competitors, especially
from high PageRank sites, is the most important way to increase your search
engine rankings. Here are some techniques you can use to boost your inbound links
to build up the buzz and rise above the noise:
• Use XML news feeds such as RSS and Atom to automatically syndicate your content
to other sites.
• Register your feeds at news aggregators.
• Interview luminaries.
• Write articles on your most important topics for other sites, and have your bio
link back to your website.
• Create useful tools.
• Publicize new content with press releases.
• Get listed in the major directories in the appropriate category:
— http://dir.yahoo.com
— http://www.business.com
— http://www.dmoz.org
— http://botw.org
• Get listed in industry directories and resource pages (e.g., the WorkForce.com
Vendor Directory for HR software providers at http://www.workforce.com/global/
2007/vendormain07.htm).
• Get links from industry websites and discussion forums (write articles, send
press releases, post to forums, and use your link in signature files).
• Use “high-end”link exchanges, and partner with others in your industry and
exchange links.
Press releases are an especially effective way to get guaranteed inbound links that say
exactly what you want in the link text. Keep the newsworthy resources flowing, and
follow up with search-optimized press releases to the online newswire sites such as
PRweb.com, PRNewswire.com, and Businesswire.com. Spend the extra money to
include link text for your URIs rather than using “naked”URIs for maximum Google
juice.
links. Promoting your site to build more inbound links than your competitors, especially
from high PageRank sites, is the most important way to increase your search
engine rankings. Here are some techniques you can use to boost your inbound links
to build up the buzz and rise above the noise:
• Use XML news feeds such as RSS and Atom to automatically syndicate your content
to other sites.
• Register your feeds at news aggregators.
• Interview luminaries.
• Write articles on your most important topics for other sites, and have your bio
link back to your website.
• Create useful tools.
• Publicize new content with press releases.
• Get listed in the major directories in the appropriate category:
— http://dir.yahoo.com
— http://www.business.com
— http://www.dmoz.org
— http://botw.org
• Get listed in industry directories and resource pages (e.g., the WorkForce.com
Vendor Directory for HR software providers at http://www.workforce.com/global/
2007/vendormain07.htm).
• Get links from industry websites and discussion forums (write articles, send
press releases, post to forums, and use your link in signature files).
• Use “high-end”link exchanges, and partner with others in your industry and
exchange links.
Press releases are an especially effective way to get guaranteed inbound links that say
exactly what you want in the link text. Keep the newsworthy resources flowing, and
follow up with search-optimized press releases to the online newswire sites such as
PRweb.com, PRNewswire.com, and Businesswire.com. Spend the extra money to
include link text for your URIs rather than using “naked”URIs for maximum Google
juice.
How to make headers that are search engine friendly
After title tags, headlines are the most important component of web pages for search
engine rankings. Because search engines and screen readers key off structural headers
for headlines (in HTML, h1 through h6), avoid fake structure where CSS or font
tags are used to artificially simulate structural HTML. You can still use CSS, but
instead of embedding style classes, simply define the look of your headers. For example,
instead of this fake header:
"
do this:
Include the primary keyphrase of your web page in the first-level header. Omit articles
to give your headlines more impact. Headlines should compel search engines as
well as users to read your content. You can use subheadlines to include additional
keywords, benefits, and calls to action. For example:
Our Central Florida personal injury attorney services can help you
"
engine rankings. Because search engines and screen readers key off structural headers
for headlines (in HTML, h1 through h6), avoid fake structure where CSS or font
tags are used to artificially simulate structural HTML. You can still use CSS, but
instead of embedding style classes, simply define the look of your headers. For example,
instead of this fake header:
"
Orlando Florida Personal Injury Lawyer John Smith &
Associates
do this:
Orlando Florida Personal Injury Lawyer John Smith & Associates
Include the primary keyphrase of your web page in the first-level header. Omit articles
to give your headlines more impact. Headlines should compel search engines as
well as users to read your content. You can use subheadlines to include additional
keywords, benefits, and calls to action. For example:
Our Central Florida personal injury attorney services can help you
get the right settlement in the quickest amount of time. Here's how...
"
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