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1. SERP analysis.
Once I have my keyword list defined, I chose 3 primary keywords and then perform SERP analysis. Here's what I look for:
- Keyword density
- Total Keyword occurrences
- Title density
- Totaly keyword ocurrences in title
- Keyword in H tag
- Keyword in Bold
- Keyword in Outbound anchor text
- Keyword in Inbound anchor text
- Keyword location
- Keyword proximity
- Dmoz/Yahoo directory listing
- Date domain was registered
- Quality of inbound links (are the links from hubs/authorities?)
- Random notes.
I keep all this in a spreadsheet so I can compare.
Each keyword category has different results and algos being applied, so I have to understand each particular category.
2. Create 3-5 templates that match the top percentages. Basically, I try to replicate what's working for others and incorporate those into my own sites.
3. Links links links. Yahoo's algo is similar to Google's pre-Nov 2003 algo. Getting a lot of inbound links with target keywords counts a lot in Yahoo.
These three steps have helped me rank in several competitive categories.
Anybody have any other observations?
Could you elaborate a bit on this? Whether it is surely a factor, why, and how they check it if not manually?
For example, in a couple of the categories I was looking at, most of the sites ranking were on domains registered before November 2003.
I'm not sure how they look at it or whether or not it's surely a factor - I just think it's worth analyzing.
In general I always try "aging" domains for Yahoo. I try to promote the oldest domains I have for Yahoo.
3. Links links links. Yahoo's algo is similar to Google's pre-Nov 2003 algo. Getting a lot of inbound links with target keywords counts a lot in Yahoo.
I have to disagree. My wife's site has managed to crack the Top 30 in just 3-4 months in a very competitive industry (R.E.) and the only incoming links are from ODP and Skaffe.
I will agree that without additional links there's little chance of going much higher, but I don't think it's fair to say Yahoo's algo places similar importance on inbound links to Google. This same site, with just those links, is nowhere to be found in G, and I doubt it would've been any better pre-Nov. 2003.
Yahoo, IMO, places much more emphasis than Google on on-page factors, and much less emphasis on off-page factors, such as inbound links.
interesting that you never weighted in content? Did you mean not to do that? For instance why talk about keyword density when it has to be relative to the content right? or are you really saying its not a factor so a 10% density is ok on a 500 word page. That would be most unnatural but acceptable on a 30 word page. Do you factor in stop words?
But I would be careful with the keyword density if you wanīt to rank well in google as well.
Google seems to rank you less if repeat to much.
Saying this though I remember my case, when I changed my menu javascriptbased to css based,
that change meant that some keyword heavily repeated now could be read by spiders,
after done the change I asked in googleforum if could be penalized for repeating them to much (made for users, but maybe spider thats not human could penalize me) and googleguy said, I shouldnīt worry if I were you.
But I think I lost a bit ranking by doing that, not much, but actually I lost position for some keywords,
instead of being 1st or 2nd are 3rd, 4th or 5th, I donīt worry, that position is ok,
but one must be careful with keyword density.
Also, I have seen sites ranking solely on on-page criteria, but it's harder to do it solely on on-page than it is by a combination of both.
A link from ODP is so powerful for Yahoo that it helped her site tremendously, plus she probably hit the on-page right on target.
I have a couple of sites that I've been able to do this, but for me, links are a more secure, guaranteed way for rankings and continued spidering.
