How FAQs and Glossaries Can Improve Search Engine Rankings
How FAQs and Glossaries Can Improve Search Engine Rankings is an article in Search Engine Optimization Blog, a web hosting article blog. You can read more articles at Search Engine Optimization,the next article:The Best Way To Build Links: Article Marketing.
Tags: keyword research, keywords, ranking, seo
A large part of my time at StepForth as a search engine optimization consultant is spent conducting competitor research on behalf of our clientele. This service aims on destroying the marketing strategies and campaigns of each competitor while determining the ways that appear to have the foundation that contributed to their SEO success. As you might imagine I come across many intriguing techniques that work and many that don't. The techniques in this article will be those that may have been overlooked that are proven to work. What I am talking about is the creation of an on-site glossary and frequently asked questions area.
Create a Glossary
I imagine we have both shared one frustration with the Internet Marketing at one tíme or another and that is jargon… and too much of it. Acronyms, and bafflegab seem to be unintentionally utilized on websites all over the web (I am guilty too, I admit it) and I often wish there was a simple way to find a definition within a website rather than visiting an online dictionary. There are cases that I find where website owners have intelligently linked not so confusing terms to an external definition which is good to the user but a complete waste of SEO opportunity. Whenever an occasion arises where a link to a definition would be worthwhile it makes far more sense to link to that content within your own website so that you can gain credibility in the eyes of a major search engine like Google.
Google's algorithm is importantly credible calculator , it pays attention to an entire host of elements of a certain website and pointing to a certain website to decide where it should be ranked. There are seemingly insurmaountable elements that the algorithm considers, not to mention the uniqueness and importance of each page's and it's content to the number of linkslinking or pointing to your website coming from different credible websites. Having the added relevant content not incoherent to a glossary will create a small boost in credibility and also by linking a phrase or word from a webpage to its definition inside your glossary.
For example, if your website (i.e. www.xyzname.Creating online plans to benefit your comprehensive glossary of terms for woodworking will definitly create a huge sale on your website. Once the glossary is complete you can then occasionallylink to the associated terms from within the written content on your website~When the glossary is complete, occasionally you can then link to the associated terms in the written content on your website}~{Once the glossary is complete you can then occasionallylink to the associated terms from within the written content on your website}~When the glossary is complete, occasionally you can then link to the associated terms in the written content on your website}.
Okay, I may see the core content of the site within the glossary has relevance to each item, however, its not confirmed how these links help?
A search engine algorithm tries to ascertain credibility in much the same manner humans do; we just take our innate calculations for granted. So consider how you would feel if you were on the woodworking site reading a tutorial on building a rocking chair and whenever a confusing term appeared you were provided with a link to a glossary on the site kindly defining the term. This tiny convenience will probably sky rocket your opinion of the value of the website and in return there will be less doubt in the credibility of the website. Search engine algorithms assimilate these helpful links in much the same manner so by helping your visitors you are also helping your website.
Wait! There is another bonus to having a glossary:
As an added benefit glossary pages also have a great chance at obtaining rankings for their associated definitions precisely because they have links from relevant text pointing to them. As a result, a woodworking glossary might become an entry page for curious surfers or even a page where other woodworking sites link to for a definition.
In other words, glossaries are indeed a win-win strategy for any kind of site. Actually, as I create this information I can't seem to think of a particular site that wouldn't benefit from a glossary.
Create a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Page
Now that you have read why an on-site glossary is important perhaps the concept of adding a Frequently Asked Questíons section to your website is a no-brainer or perhaps not. It is my very strong opinion that if you don't have a FAQ page you should get your butt in gear and create one ASAP.
The same as a glossary, FAQ pages are perfect places to construct credibility of your web site and lay to rest the fear and concern pertaining to your product that often come up in relation to what you sell. Any ideas regarding questions of a potential customers might have in mind, contact some of your clients and ask them their experiences before choosing their company. Try putting a submission form on your contact page and see if prospects are willing to ask you a question directly – when they do, always try to respond promptly. Then put the Q and A on the applicable Frequesntly Asked Questions Page.
Yet another bonus from having an FAQ:
It is very common for the average surfer to search the web using questíons. If your FAQ uses the wording that you think your prospects will use when searching, you will have a good chance at acquiring some extra high quality traffic. Look for the most appropriate wording for each FAQ research something about keyword analysis tool.
Tips for Building an Optimized Glossary or FAQ
Now I imagine that every expert in the SEO field has a different preference for designing the ‘ultimate’ glossary or FAQ but there are definitely some important tips to keep in mind for both:
1. Keep the pages relatively short. For example, I do not recommend having the entire glossary or FAQ on a single page unless they are relatively small. Limit your questions to at least 10 to 15 Q&A on every page.
2. In creating a FAQ, assign each page to a particular topic. Take a woodworking site for example; the FAQ for one page could be on wood floor installation and another page might be devoted to laminate floor installation.
3. Make it a point to link to a related content within your site whenever you are formatting the content of the glossary and the Frequesntly Asked Questions Page. This way if any visitors or search engines enter the site via one of these pages they can find great related reading material in a single click.
4. Do not for get to place a "back" button or something for them to click on that will navigate them back to the glossary or FAQ main menu. This is the most convenient way for visitors to browse each resource and go back to the original page or back to where they were before.
5. Add content to both resources whenever possible. It is often very simple to add a new definition or question and over time each resource will become more and more valuable to your users and ultimately contribute more to your website’s success.
6. Secure that the Glossary and Frequesntly Asked Questions pages are aggregated in XML sitemap in order for the search engines to regularly index the page [see Google XML Sitemaps – The Basics ]. That said, I advise setting the suggested re-index rate monthly unless the resources will be updated more often than that. Nevertheless, these pages are supposedly helpful and not mislead the main idea of the content.
Your Competitors Are Doing It or They Will
If your website lacks a glossary or a FAQ I can only hope that this article convinced you to make it a priority. These tools are noted as contributing factors to the success of competitors throughout many of my analysis contracts and simply put they are too simple to add for anyone to be without them. Hiring your favorite web designer to add those resources will still come to one conclusion - the ends will justify the means.
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