I’m launching a new column, called SEO Wednesday (as if you couldn’t figure that out by the huge graphic) here at gBradhopkins.com.

In this column, which I hope will run every Wednesday, I will use tips, tools and techniques that I find on the web to optimize this website and increase traffic. In addition to optimizing this site, we will also dispell myths, highlight tools, websites and resources for those looking to optimize their website for the major search engines.

What is SEO or Search Engine Optimization?

“Short for search engine optimization, the process of increasing the amount of visitors to a Web site by ranking high in the search results of a search engine. The higher a Web site ranks in the results of a search, the greater the chance that that site will be visited by a user. It is common practice for Internet users to not click through pages and pages of search results, so where a site ranks in a search is essential for directing more traffic toward the site.

SEO helps to ensure that a site is accessible to a search engine and improves the chances that the site will be found by the search engine.” (source Webopedia.com)

To judge whether or not we are making any progress, we have to know where we are currently. All of the following stats apply to the traffic received by gbradhopkins.com during the year 2005.

Traffic Stats
53% of traffic comes from Google.com
2.49% comes from Yahoo!
1.25% comes from MSN Search

11% of visitors used the Search Phrase “Quicktime Pro 7”
3.6% used the Search Phrase “rotate movies”
3.6% used the Search Phrase “connecting two macs via firewire”

37.3% of visitors are using Safari or Netscape 6 or 7
35.69% of users are using Internet Explorer 6
47% of visitors are using the MacOS
42% of visitors are using WinXP

That’s a smattering of the stats, that I feel will help us decide whether or not our SEO effors are successful. A tool that I will be using is to track my progress throughtout is Advanced Web Ranking 4.1 by Caphyon Software. This software, which you can demo for free for 30 days allows you to track your search engine ranking over time for various keywords.

The methods that will guide my actions will come from various resources. I am going to start with the ten suggestions in the article Ten tips to the Top of the Search Engines found on the HighRankings.com forum.

Next week, we’ll start tackling that list on the HighRankings.com forum. In the mean time, why not try this with your website? We can compare notes and hopefully increase traffic to all of our sites.

Have a question? Found this useful? Let me know at .