What are keywords? Why are they important?
      How do the keywords help with our rankings and visibility?
      What are SERPs?
      Since Organic Search Results are free, why should I have to pay for my site to rank well?
      Does the use of trademark™ symbols or other special characters affect how a bot views my site?
      Are Google SiteMaps necessary? Are they effective?
      How can I be sure only my content indexed without letting Google index non-content?
      What is a Meta Tag?
      Does SearchDex employ cloaking?
      What’s the difference between the SearchDex system and traditional SEO?
      How much more traffic does the PSP program yield over the basic searchdex implementation
       or over my own internal or non-existent SEO program?
      How long will it be before we see any progress or rankings once we identify our campaign target?
      How do the customers and or consumers get to our pages to purchase products?
      Can I pay to appear in the "Organic" search results?
      Does SearchDex integrate with my current Reporting System Provider?
      Does SearchDex integrate with my internal site search provider?
      Does SearchDex integrate with my primary content management system?
      Does SearchDex work with my current platform & Language?
      Datafeeds - How does SearchDex keep up with our new products?

What are keywords? Why are they important?

Keyword and keyword phrases are used by most search engines to identify and index web pages. Most web searches are executed by users by entering one or a series of keyword or keyword phrases. Pages are ranked according to their keyword density and/or their relevance to the associated keywords. Top

How do the keywords help with our rankings and visibility?

By creating pages focused on specific keyword and keyword phrases, search engines identify those pages as more important and relevant to the target keyword than pages relevant to other topics. These pages are ranked according to relevance relative to other pages containing the same keywords. Pages identified by the search engine algorithms as the most relevant appear higher in the SERPs. Top

What are SERPs?

SERP is an acronym for Search Engine Results Page. Commonly used when referring to where a specific web page ranks amongst its competition in the search engine results. Top

Since Organic Search Results are free, why should I have to pay for my site to rank well?

Organic search results (aka Natural Search Results) are typically free, with a few exceptions. Complex mathematical equations along with certain rules and regulations all affect how a page ranks in the SERPs. Depending upon how a web site is built, search engine "bots" may or may not be able to read and ultimately rank a site in the search engine index. In order to boost a site's chance of ranking, certain formatting rules and content guidelines must be followed. Top

Does the use of trademark™ symbols or other special characters affect how a bot views my site?

Google, Yahoo & MSN all used to have difficulty separating the trademark and copyright symbols from the page content but they all have gotten better.  It is often best to have a space between the end of the text and the symbol to ensure accurate indexing and relevancy rankings. 

 

Other special “symbols” like an accent symbol, ex. Décor, or the use of a umelot symbol does negatively impact desire relevancy.  The search engines will not index special characters or symbols that are part the alpha-numeric string.  If the special character or symbol precedes or follows the alpha-numeric string then a space should be placed between the two strings to ensure accurate indexing of and proper desired relevancy and rankings. Top

 

Are Google SiteMaps necessary? Are they effective?

Google SiteMaps can be an effective tool to assist Google in maneuvering through complex site structures. Clients on SearchDex service have an advantage through the SearchDex index. How? SearchDex creates a comprehensive index, similar to Google SiteMaps, that is search engine agnostic. In other words, SearchDex creates an indexable site-map that all search engines can use to find their way through the site. Top

How can I be sure only my content indexed without letting search engines index non-content?

There are several ways to prevent search engines from indexing content or pages on your site that you do not want to appear in SERPs, such as shopping carts, banner ads, etc. Robots.txt files are essential in any dynamic site environment, and placing "noIndex" tags in areas or on elements of your site that you do not want indexed can help. Top

What is a Meta Tag?

A Meta Tag is a type of HTML tag that describes the web page it is attached to. Typical Meta Tags do not affect how a page is displayed, and usually are not visible within the browser window. Meta Tags may be used to assist search engines in identifying the subject of a web page, and may affect a pages rankings in the SERPs. Top

Does SearchDex employ cloaking?

Searchdex does not use shady tactics to boost rankings in SERPs. Our Best Practices Policy, and response to search engine guidelines explains SearchDex response to many common fears relating to Search Engine Optimization techniques. Top

What’s the difference between the SearchDex system and traditional SEO?

SearchDex is an enterprise class software company that specializes in assisting e-business clients with systems to enable content management across large volumes of pages. SearchDex takes an analytical and technical approach Search Engine Marketing. Traditional SEO is commonly a layer of consulting along with hand-coding or manually updating recommendations. SearchDex solutions are scalable, and include technical implementation, creative custom visual design, new creative optimized content, as well as ongoing consultative development. Top

How much more traffic does the PSP program yield over the basic SearchDex implementation? (or over my own internal or non-existent SEO program)

PSP, which is SearchDex Premium Service Program, uses the benefit of economies of scale, allowing clients that afford or manage new initiatives the ability to benefit from the large number of clients that SearchDex services. Although some clients have done very well with their optimization efforts on the SearchDex Basic Visibility Package (available only to MarketLive users), only the companies that hired and maintained full-time internal SEO managers and experienced optimized Content Copywriters typically experience comparable results to the PSP Program. Top

How long will it be before we see any progress or rankings once we identify our campaign target?

Taking an idea from inception to a highly ranking page in the Search Engines takes time. Most retailers are planning their merchandising mix as far out as 8 to 10 months before a new season, but neglect to plan ahead to ensure new product categories and products have time on their site to be crawled, indexed, and cached by the search engines. SearchDex recommends that clients create internal communication systems to make sure SearchDex and the client prepare far enough in advance to maximize potential ranking in SERPs. There are a large number of sometimes vague variables in this timeline, but typically it can take anywhere from 60 to 120 to take an idea and turn it into a ranking page. Top

How do the customers and or consumers get to our pages to purchase products?

There are many ways a consumer can link to your site. A "Direct Load" consumer is a consumer that goes directly to your site. These consumers typically know who you are. They typed your name directly into a menu bar, just as if they had driven directly to your store. "Search Consumers", the type we lead to your site, come in at many different phases of the buying cycle. Some are in the discovery phase, some are doing product comparisons, some are price shopping, and ultimately, some will be converting. Different queries in the search engines help identify which phase in the buying process the consumer is in, and SearchDex helps build targeted messages designed to deal with each phase. Top

Can I pay to appear in the "Organic" search results?

Most search engine users assume that the results appearing in the "Organic" section of the SERPs appear for free, and although this is typically true, there are a few exceptions. Yahoo! Search Submit is one example.. Top

Does SearchDex integrate with my current Reporting System Provider?

Yes. SearchDex has the ability to integrate with most major reporting systems, including WebTrends, Omniture CoreMetrics, HitWise/HitBox, FireClick Top

Does SearchDex integrate with my internal site search provider?

Yes. SearchDex can integrate with most internal site search providers, and even improves some internal site search functionality. Provider such as Endeca, Mercado, Adams, etc. Top

Does SearchDex integrate with my primary content management system?

Yes. SearchDex provides certain CMS features, and can also integrate with most CMS systems, including IBM Websphere, Broadvision, MarketLive, etc. Top

Does SearchDex work with my current platform & Language?!?!?

Yes. SearchDex is considered "Platform Agnostic" and has the ability to integrate smoothly into all major platforms and languages. Top

Datafeeds- How does SearchDex keep up with our new products?

SearchDex imports user data through validated XML feeds. If a client adds a product or category, it will automatically appear in the SearchDex index. This also means that clients need to filter data prior to import/data feed. Source data should only include the products/info clients want published. Top