This week I am almost completely consumed by search engine optimization. It's the topic for chapter in my new book on building Drupal Web sites and the topic for an SEO class that I'm teaching at the beginning of August. I've been comparing search results for phrases like "php drupal" and "php drupal help." I've been obsessing over click through rates and conversion rates and I've been studying the competition.
And then I got side tracked and stopped to see how some of my favourite free software projects rank in the search engines. I searched for four variations on the phrase "free graphics software." I expected to find top search results for two of my favourite free graphics applications (GIMP and Inkscape). Take a look at what I found:
GIMP ranks well in all four search phrases, but only the first link yields a top-ten result for Inkscape. What's up Inkscape? Why aren't you top ten how can we make you do better? SEO to the rescue. Before you get covered in hives and think that SEO is just for marketing wonks try doing a few searches of your own using variations on key phrases. The results are often surprisingly different. Almost every small business (or free software project) can complete a few easy steps to make their site more findable. Over the next few blog entries I'll show you how.
Can't wait? I'm pretty impatient too. So I've created a three-part mini workshop available INSTANTLY as a free email class. Sign up today and be done by the end of the week. Feel free to wait for each of the lessons to be posted here if you prefer to watch paint dry instead of getting started NOW.
As a super-awesome bonus you'll get a free subscription to the HICK Tech ezine. It comes out approximately monthly and includes full articles that aren't published here on topics relating to SEO, email marketing and Web site design.
