Condo Media - December 2009 - 42

TECHNOLOGY by Liz Lent A Place at the Top The Value of Search Engine Optimization ords have always been a powerful force when it comes to business. From ad campaigns to slogans to sales pitches, words help shape the way consumers view a product. Today, words have taken on a whole new importance with the advent of search engine optimization, a tool that can help your Web site and your business rise to the top of the online food chain. First, an explanation: What is search engine optimization (SEO)? It all ties into the massive power that search engines such as Google and Yahoo harness for the billions of Web users worldwide in their quest to find information quickly and easily. Whenever someone types in a search — for example, “best restaurant in Atlanta” or “Manhattan condos” — hundreds of different links will appear on their search result page. Ever notice that often the same companies or businesses will appear at the top of the page. Those top five spaces are prime real estate and SEO can help you claim that territory. “Statistics show that most people will primarily look at positions one through three in their search results,” says Imari Adams, communications specialist for AtHomeNet. How they rank even in those top three can make a huge difference in how much traffic the sites generate from the search. “The second result will get 50 percent fewer clicks than the first result, and it’s 75 percent less for the third result.” And even though Google and Yahoo offer premium rankings for purchase, “70 percent of people click on the organic search results rather than the ads,” Adams says. Through search engine optimization programs, association management companies and communities can earn their place in those organic rankings. How? It all comes back to the words. notice more news stories, for example, with links embedded in their articles. There are myriad other factors involved in rankings, says Adams, including things like how long your site has existed and been active. “There’s no guarantee” on whether or not a site will reach that coveted top spot on the search page, says Adams. “All search engines have slightly different formulas and they change them over time. They might put more weight on one thing over another. It can change.” It can be a bit like putting together a puzzle with always changing pieces. The efforts put into search engine optimization by AtHomeNet client Tish Britt have paid off. Her firm Hawthorne Management has begun its rise up the page. “Searching is critical for a business the way technology is today,” she says. “The first thing people do is Google. To be at the top of the page, you have to have those keywords.” With adjustments in their content and tweaking in their layout, the Hawthorne Management site has made good progress and has seen an increase in online inquiries. “We don’t have to be No. 1 on the page, but we’d like to be two or three,” Britt says. “As long as we’re there in those top few, we’re happy.” As the process evolves and search engines continue to hone their criteria, search engine optimization will continue to grow in importance and accuracy, providing that vital leg-up on the competition that just about every business could use. CM Liz Lent is a freelance writer for AtHomeNet.com, a provider of online solutions for the community association industry. W Words, Links and More “You have to have good content,” Adams says. “When someone types in a search term, the search engines crawl through your Web site to see if you have relevant content. For example, how many times do you use the words they’re looking for without being too repetitive?” That “repetition” caveat helps prevent someone from building a Web site that simply uses keywords without substance. Keywords will help boost a site’s rankings. “For Coca-Cola, for example, its keywords might be ‘soft drinks,’ ‘Coke,’ ‘Cola’ and ‘soda pop,’” says Adams. “If they can incorporate those words into their Web pages strategically, it will increase their chances of getting higher up on the page when people search for them.” Savvy site builders can incorporate keywords and phrases into the actual framework or coded, invisible portions of the pages using meta-tags. “These represent a smaller percentage of the factors involved, but are still important,” Adams says. Content writers can add “visible” tags to entries as well, listing them at the end of stories or blurbs. Link building can play a role in SEO as well. “How many other sites are linking to your site?” Adams says. If you own a management company, for example, and there’s a link from your local chamber of commerce or CAI chapter Web site to your site, that will provide a boost to you. How you link to other sites on your own site also matters, which is why you might CONDO MEDIA • DECEMBER 2009
http://www.AtHomeNet.com

Condo Media - December 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Condo Media - December 2009

Condo Media - December 2009
Table of Contents
From the CED’s Desk
President’s Message
CAI News
CAI Regional News
Asked & Answered
Homeowner’s Corner
Legal
Cover Story
Vendor Spotlight
Management
Maintenance
Technology
Finance
Legal
Advertisers Index
Classified Service Directory
Condo Media - December 2009 - Condo Media - December 2009
Condo Media - December 2009 - Cover2
Condo Media - December 2009 - Table of Contents
Condo Media - December 2009 - From the CED’s Desk
Condo Media - December 2009 - 3
Condo Media - December 2009 - President’s Message
Condo Media - December 2009 - 5
Condo Media - December 2009 - CAI News
Condo Media - December 2009 - 7
Condo Media - December 2009 - 8
Condo Media - December 2009 - 9
Condo Media - December 2009 - 10
Condo Media - December 2009 - 11
Condo Media - December 2009 - 12
Condo Media - December 2009 - 13
Condo Media - December 2009 - 14
Condo Media - December 2009 - 15
Condo Media - December 2009 - CAI Regional News
Condo Media - December 2009 - 17
Condo Media - December 2009 - 18
Condo Media - December 2009 - 19
Condo Media - December 2009 - 20
Condo Media - December 2009 - 21
Condo Media - December 2009 - Asked & Answered
Condo Media - December 2009 - 23
Condo Media - December 2009 - Homeowner’s Corner
Condo Media - December 2009 - 25
Condo Media - December 2009 - Legal
Condo Media - December 2009 - 27
Condo Media - December 2009 - Cover Story
Condo Media - December 2009 - 29
Condo Media - December 2009 - 30
Condo Media - December 2009 - 31
Condo Media - December 2009 - 32
Condo Media - December 2009 - 33
Condo Media - December 2009 - Vendor Spotlight
Condo Media - December 2009 - 35
Condo Media - December 2009 - Management
Condo Media - December 2009 - 37
Condo Media - December 2009 - 38
Condo Media - December 2009 - 39
Condo Media - December 2009 - Maintenance
Condo Media - December 2009 - 41
Condo Media - December 2009 - Technology
Condo Media - December 2009 - 43
Condo Media - December 2009 - Finance
Condo Media - December 2009 - 45
Condo Media - December 2009 - Legal
Condo Media - December 2009 - 47
Condo Media - December 2009 - 48
Condo Media - December 2009 - 49
Condo Media - December 2009 - 50
Condo Media - December 2009 - Classified Service Directory
Condo Media - December 2009 - 52
Condo Media - December 2009 - 53
Condo Media - December 2009 - 54
Condo Media - December 2009 - 55
Condo Media - December 2009 - 56
Condo Media - December 2009 - Cover3
Condo Media - December 2009 - Cover4
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