Ethical Search Engine Optimization: Putting Your Principles into Practice

The type of seo tactics you use says something very important about the type of business or real estate agent you are.  My grandfather was fond of saying, "Don't take any wooden nickels" and I try to take that advice to heart as an ethical SEO.  I want to maintain integrity, add value to clients, and create mutually beneficial relationships throughout my life.  And I imagine you are the same way.

White Hat Search Engine Optimization vs. Less Ethical Forms of Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization is divided into white hat, gray hat, and black hat SEO techniques.  While White hat SEO firms use ethical SEO tactics, Black hat SEO firms rely on spam, cloaking, and other unsavory marketing practices.  Each search engine optimization firm has a separate type of SEO they practice.  

Ethical SEO Principle 1: Staying focused on White Hat Techniques

The basic principle of white hat seo is that you are helping users find relevant information for them in ways that don't manipulate the search results.  You are helping the search engines deliver good, quality content.  You also want to increase the web design usability and user experience of a website, so all the information is delivered in an easy to understand fashion:

• Unique Content Creation-Providing great content for users

• Link Building for SEO-Building relationships with influential bloggers in your niche for link building

• Community Content-Helping other related business owners and vendors write content, even if its just a testimonial, a couple tips, or an interview

Ethical SEO Principle 2: Helping Google and Users Increases Your Ethical Search Engine Optimization

• Linking out to great resources (real estate, education, government, sports) related to your area

• Creating content specific to your locality (assuming thats in your keyword section)

• Linking out to key items of interest in your area

• Creating resources for your people in your locality

• Eliminating unnecessary navigation

• Make it easy to contact you

• Follow great blog usability guidelines from a web usability expert. (PS. Why does his site look so very 1997)

Ethical SEO Principle 3: Creating Organization, Hierarchy, and Focus to Your Site for Ethical SEO

• Siloing and theming your website.  This makes it easier for Google's search bots to understand and for you to think about your site structure.

• Emphasizing your most important content and putting it all in one easy to see and use area

• Featuring your most important content (ie feature your most important resources, create a page with the 7 to 10 most important resources for each neighborhood and then link to your "Nashville Real Estate Buyers Buying Guide" on each one)

• The number of links on your site to your most important content.

Ethical SEO Principle 4: Following Google Guidelines for Ethical Search Engine Optimization:

• Bolding, italizing, and emphasizing with H1, H2, and H3 tags.  One way to conceptualize this part of SEO is to think about it like an outline and the way the main parts of an outline emphasize the central parts of that content.

• Using anchor text that tells the search engine what the link points to. (For instance, whenever I say "white hat search engine optimization" I link over to my blog.

• Appropriately naming photos and pictures "nashville-real-estate.jpg" or "franklin-real-estate.gif" instead of using spaces.

• Adding "no follow" to unimportant info on the site, or pages that aren't getting traffic.  This will help shape your Google link juice toward your most important pages.

• Paying attention to Google Analytics  Pay attention to what search terms are bringing in visitors, pay attention to which pages are getting the most traffic, and pay attention to where visitors are leaving.  If you are very much a technical and numbers person (aka accountant-esque and a little computer saavy)--pay attention to Avinash--he is the web analytics guru.  Following his advice can help focus your web analytics strategy. (see also: Web Analytics on an Hour a Day)

• Following Google SEO Stater Guide (Here my summary of the Google SEO Starter Guide)

• One way to do this is to get links from your local Chamber of Commerce or places you speak. (.edu and .gov are most trusted domains.  .org is highly trusted as well.  Hence, speaking at a local university in )

• Keyword data is all about balance.  Remember SEO keyword data is very important and paying attention an important insight into the mind of your potential customers.  However, don't just allow your content to be shaped by keyword data.  If new things are on the horizon, its hard for current keyword data to consider those future events.

• Make sure your URLs include your keywords that are contained in your posts.  Often this means that your URLs mimic your post titles.

• Decide on a unique feature for your blog.  Some people choose to go with Watercooler Wednesday.  Some people link out to the top 25 bloggers in their niche based on Technorati ranking.  Still others decide to provide a summary of the best posts they have bookmarked on del.icio.us and provide a pithy quote.  This brands their blog and allows them to do deep on a particular issue.  Be unique.  Be useful. Don't afraid to be controversial.

The basic problem is you aren't your customer, so its hard to assume how customers think or act online without asking or looking at data.  Its always nice to have someone to advise you about your website optimization whether that is search engine optimization, user experience, or website conversion.

Ethical SEO Principle 5: Avoid Spammy, Manipulative, and Shady Black Hat Search Engine Optimization

You also want to avoid gray hat and black hat techniques.  You don't want to be excessively spammy, to buy links, or to get links from link farms.  Yahoo has a great explanation of what those are.  In fact, you can report spam to Google here.

If your tactic has a Multilevel marketing splash page connected to it, that might just be a tip that its a black hat technique.

Ethical Search Engine Optimization Principle 6: Target Local and Long tail Terms for Search Engine Optimization

Pay attention to local search engine factors.  Supercharge your local small business website with these tips.

Ethical SEO Principle 7: Create monthly link bait that you promote via PR, blogger relations, or email

This is a way for you to focus your effort on a post or two or the creation of a unique resource and then promoting that resource as valuable to other linkerati online.  Linkerati are just bloggers and other influential webmasters.  (Google, Technorati, and Alltop can help you identify them)  Without links you can't be found on Google, so this is an important component of your strategy.

Ethical SEO Principle 8: Bring An Influential in and Make Yourself a Hub Around Your Content

Feature a neighborhood or industry influential on your blog.  Its even better if you can have a series of these posts, because you become more of a hub for this type of info in your area.

Ethical SEO Principle 9: Reverse Engineer the Best for Search Engine Optimization

Look at Google, find out who is doing well.  See what type of content they talk about.  Look at what content they are getting links from based on Technorati data.  See which websites are linking to them via the SEO tool Linkdiagnosis.

You might also check out a top leader in a tough market like San Francisco real estate or Washington DC real estate or Washington DC real estate blogs.  That search yieled Metro DC Homes at the top.  Visit my blog for more social media for real estate tips

Remember, Google and Technorati can't tell you what offline relationships have been created to drive links and traffic.

Ethical SEO Principle 10: Link to and Comment on Do-follow Blogs

Links aren't the basis of relationships, but it can help build relationships.  Here is a list of do follow real estate blogs you might check out.

I plan on adding more tips and links, so come back....  Have a great day.